*TITIAN*GUID0  ReNI 

*  Claude  Lorraine* 


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ARTIST-  BIO  GRAPHIES. 


TITIAN. 


!i''»'3<j'>    6'»3^    4"«3        jV'    V'»    ' 


BOSTON: 
HOUGHTON,   OSGOOD   AND   COMPANY. 

SCfjt  ISibctstUe  Press,  CambriUflE. 
1880. 


Copyright,  1877, 

By  JAMES  R.  OSGOOD  &  CO. 

AU  Sightt  Jleterved. 


;e^c«f*Jc.  5i«      ,t^««    •^    «,     >    '    t. 


University  Press:  John  Wilson  &  Son, 
Cambridge 


N3)3S 

\/.  2. 


PREFACE. 


The  chief  authority  on  which  this  biography  of 
Titian  is  based  is  the  ponderous  work  on  the  same 
subject  recently  published  in  London,  in  two  volumes, 
under  the  joint  authorship  of  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle. 
These  gentlemen  are  eminent  for  laborious  and  con- 
scientious research,  and  just  and  temperate  criticism, 
as  is  shown  in  their  preceding  volumes  on  the  history 
of  Italian  art,  which  have  now  become  classical,  and 
are  generally  used  as  ultimate  authorities.  In  con- 
nection with  this  work,  the  author  has  consulted  and 
compared  numerous  oilier  books  relating  to  Titian 
and  his  paintings,  —  Gilbert's  "  Cadore,"  Northcote, 
Ticozzi,  Vasari,  Taine,  Blanc,  &c. 

The  List  of  Paintings  appended  to  this  biography 
is  the  result  of  careful  research,  and  will  doubtless 
be  valuable  for  purposes  of  reference.  The  pictures 
claimed  as  Titian's,  now  in  New  York  and  New  Eng- 
land, are  not  included,  since  the  writer  is  not  familiar 
with  the  proofs  of  their  authenticity.  It  is  earnestly 
f?  -r^  -^^  r>  'C  O 


IV  PREFACE. 

desired  that  this  list  may  be  freed  from  errors,  and 
that  it  may  be  corrected  as  often  as  changes  occur  in 
the  locations  of  Titian's  pictures.  Any  information 
of  this  kind  would  be  gratefully  received  by  the 
author,  — 

M.   F.   SWEETSER. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1477-1500.  FAGB 

The  Vale  of  Cadore.  —  Titian's  Ancestors  and  his  Early  Life. — 
Venice  and  her  Artists.  —  Titian  studies  with  the  Bellini    .       .      7 

CHAPTER  II. 
1500-1511. 
Palma,  Giorgione,  and  other  Artists.  —  Titian's  First  Works. — 
Venetian  Wars.  —  Aldlne  Academy.— The  League  of  CambraL 

—  Titian  at  Padua 18 

CHAPTER  in. 
1512-1519. 
Invited  to  Rome. — Titian  becomes  Painter  to  the  State.  — Visit  to 
Ferrara.  —  Ariosto.  —  The  Assumption,  and  other  Paintings     .    ji 

CHAPTER  IV. 
1519-1523. 
Works  for  Ferrara,  Ancona,  and  Brescia.  —  Homeward  Journey.  — 
Venetian  Nobles.  —  Visit  to  Mantua. — Bacchus  and  Ariadne. 
— The  Venuses, — The  Entombment 40 

CHAPTER  V. 

1523-1530. 
The  Doge  Gritti.— Titian's  Private  Life.  — The  Pesaro  Madonna. 

—  Aretino.  —  Affairs  in  Cadore. — Sebastiano. — Visits  to  Fer^ 
rara  and  Mantua 51 

CHAPTER  VI. 
iS3«>-iS34. 
Death  of  Titian's  Wife.  —  Removal  to  Casa  Grande.  —  Pupils. — 
Magdalens  and  Minor  Works.  —  Visit  to  Charles  V.,  who  en- 
nobles Titian.  —  La  Bella 65 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

At  Milan.  —  Duke  of  Urbino. —  Bembo. —  Aretino,  and  Titian's 
Son. — The  Council  punishes  Titian.  —  "The  Battle  of  Ca- 
dore,"  and  Minor  Works.  —  Titian's  Guests        ....     78 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
1540-1545. 
At  Mantua  and  Milan.  — The  Academy.  —  Vasari.  —  Paul  III.  and 
the  Emperor.  — The  Farnese  Family.  —  Northern  Journeys     .    8q 

CHAPTER  IX. 

»S4S-iS4<5- 
Titian   at    Rome    and    Florence. —  Lavinia.  —  Three  Venuses. — 
Journey  to  Augsburg.  —  Portraits  of  Sovereigns  and  Nobles.  — 
Return  to  Venice 100 

CHAPTER  X. 

1549-1558. 
Titian's   Family.  —  Second  Visit  to  Germany.  —  Pictures  for  the 
Imperial  Family.  —  The  Doge  Venier.  —  Death  of  Aretino.  — 
"  St.  Lawrence " iia 

CHAPTER   XI. 

'5S8-'563. 
Oraiio's  Mischance.  —  Pictures  for  Philip  II.  — The  Villa  at  Cene- 
da.  —  The  Pensions. — The  Dianas  and  Religious  Pictures        .  126 

CHAPTER  XII. 
1563-1377- 
Religious    Paintings.  —  Vasari's    Visit.  —  Strada.  —  The    Vecelli 
Artists.  —  Unpaid    Pensions.  —  Death    of    Sansovino.  —  The 
Plague.  —  Death  of  Titian 136 

A  List  of  Titian's  Paintings  now  in  existence,  with  theii  Dates  of 
Execution,  and  Present  Locations 151 

Alphabetical  Index 159 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TITIAN. 


Portrait  of  Titian        ....        Frontispiece. 

The  Tribute-Money 28 

La  Bella  di  Tiziano 76 

Lavinia,  Titian's  Daughter         .        .        .        .112 

GUIDO  RENT. 

The  Genius  of  Music  triumphant  over  Love  .  20 

The  Archangel  Michael 64 

Portrait  of  Guido  Reni 98 

EccE  Homo 132 

CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

The  Musical  Shepherdess 48 

The  Landing  of  ^neas  in  Italy       ...  72 

Israelites  worshipping  the  Golden  Calf        .  96 

Portrait  of  Claude  Lorraine    ....  123 


TITIAN. 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  Vale  of  Cadore,  —  Titian's  Ancestors  and  his  Early  Life.     • 
Venice  and  her  Artists.  —  Titian  Studies  with  the  Bellini. 

Amidst  the  picturesque  scenery  of  the  Vene- 
tian Alps,  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Venice, 
is  the  long  and  beautiful  Val  Cadore,  which  is 
traversed  by  the  boiling  torrent  of  the  Piave, 
descending  from  the  Alps  of  Carniola.  On  the 
west  is  Mount  Antelao,  10,679  ^^^^  ^ig^>  dreaded 
for  its  disastrous  avalanches ;  on  the  north  is  the 
long  ridge  of  Marmarolo,  with  many  sharp  points 
and  needles  ;  and  on  the  east  is  the  bold  peak  of 
Cridola,  9,000  feet  high.  It  is  a  land  of  pale 
dolomite  rocks,  forming  needle-like  spires  and 
clear-cut  sierras,  with  profound  gorges  and  de- 
files, and  rapid  and  roaring  torrents.  The  lower 
ridges  are  covered  with  luxuriant  forests,  above 
which  rise  vast  piles  of  rocks,  whereon  the  snows 

7 


8  TITIAN. 

rest  for  several  montns  o'  the  year,  even  in  this 
southern  latitude.  In  these  wild  and  craggy 
highlands  the  most  ordinary  operations  of  nature 
are  beautiful  or  grand,  —  the  sunset,  bathing  the 
verdurous  slopes  and  high  uplifted  ledges ;  the 
storm-clouds  and  mist-wreaths,  rolling  around 
and  insulating  the  pale  peaks  above ;  or  the 
noonday  sun,  piercing  the  deep  glens,  and  spar- 
kling on  the  crystal  waters. 

The  region  of  Cadore  lies  near  the  Austrian 
Tyrol,  and  has  for  many  centuries  been  subject 
to  German  and  Italian  masters  alternately,  though 
in  sympathy  with  the  latter.  Originally  a  fief  of 
the  Empire,  it  afterwards  pertained  for  three  cen- 
turies to  the  patriarchs  of  Aquileia.  In  1335  it 
reverted  to  a  Bavarian  prince  ;  and  at  a  later 
day  was  added  to  the  conquests  of  Sigismund  of 
Hungary.  Strong  towers  rise  on  the  heights  and 
in  the  Alpine  passes,  which  were  erected  in  those 
immemorial  days  to  block  the  paths  of  invasion. 
But  their  mountains  and  their  poverty  were  the 
strongest  defences  of  the  sturdy  highland  men, 
who  were  proud  of  their  municipal  rights,  and 
governed  themselves  by  a  council  which  enjoj'ed 
high  prerogatives.     The  region  was  thinly  popu 


THE   VECELLI  FAMILY.  9 

lated  by  a  hardy  and  thrifty  peasantry,  deriving 
its  chief  support  from  the  iron-mines,  and  from 
cutting  lumber  in  the  forests,  which  descended 
the  Piave  in  rafts,  and  was  used  in  the  Venetian 
buildings,  and  the  galleys  of  the  republican  fleet. 
The  agricultural  supplies  were  limited  to  the 
products  of  the  dairy  and  the  orchards ;  and  the 
grain  used  in  the  communes  was  purchased  by 
the  council  in  the  richer  valleys  of  Friuli. 

The  first  Count  of  Cadore,  in  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, bore  the  name  of  Guecello,  or  Vecelli,  and 
one  of  his  descendants  was  the  podestk  of  the 
district  in  132 1.  The  grandson  of  this  ruler 
married  a  lady  whose  dowry  included  the  chapel 
of  St.  Titian  of  Oderzo ;  and  from  that  time  the 
name  of  Titian  became  common  in  the  Vecelli 
family.  Conte  Vecelli  was  a  trusted  lawyer  and 
councillor,  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  but  influ- 
ential both  in  his  native  valley  and  in  great 
Venice.  His  son  Gregorio  was  a  wise  and  val- 
iant soldier,  and  a  tribune  of  the  people,  captain 
of  the  "  century "  of  Pieve,  overseer  of  sup  plies, 
and  member  of  the  council,  —  a  man  of  high 
honor  and  influence  among  the  people  of  the 
glens.     He  married  a  certain  Lucia,  and  settled 


lo  TITIAN. 

in  one  of  his  father's  cottages  at  Pieve,  in  the 
lane  near  the  Piazzetta  of  the  Arsenale.  The 
couple  had  four  children,  —  Caterina,  Francesco, 
Orsa,  and  Tiziano,  or  Titian. 

Pieve  di  Cadore  stood  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
Alpine  region,  with  its  formidable  castle  rising 
on  the  crest  of  an  almost  inaccessible  eminence, 
at  whose  foot  was  the  fountain-adorned  munici- 
pal square,  surrounded  by  massive  old  houses. 
In  a  quiet  lane  near  the  village  is  a  cottage, 
which  looks  out  on  the  castle  and  church,  and 
beyond  them  to  the  broken  mountains  on  the 
north,  and  the  lofty  and  saw-like  crest-line  of  the 
Marmarolo.  In  this  house,  which  is  still  care- 
fully preserved,  the  great  artist  Titian  was  born, 
in  the  year  1477.  Here  he  dwelt  during  his 
school-boy  years,  amidst  the  pure  air  and  noble 
scenery  of  the  Alps.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  daily  contemplation  of  those  solemn 
shrines  of  Nature,  the  cloud-wreathed  and  snow- 
capped peaks,  and  the  mysterious  and  bosky 
glens,  produced  an  enduring  impression  on  his 
mind.  His  subsequent  achievements  as  the  fore- 
most landscape-painter  of  the  century,  and  the 
careful  finish  of  the  natural  scenery  in  his  works, 


TITIAN-' S  CHILDHOOD.  II 

prove  that  he  had  a  very  just  and  loving  appre 
elation  of  the  manifold  beauties  of  mountain  and 
forest.  The  bold  peaks  of  the  Cadorine  ranges 
often  appear  in  the  backgrounds  of  his  Venetian 
pictures,  as  if  he  could  not  too  often  recall  their 
impressive  and  stately  forms. 

Lanzi  claims  that  the  boy  Titian  was  instructed 
in  painting  by  Antonio  Rossi,  one  of  the  last 
masters  of  the  puerile  Alpine  art,  who  executed 
frescos  and  altar-pieces  in  the  churches  of  the 
Vale  of  Cadore  between  1472  and  1502.  But 
Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  reject  this  story,  and 
also  the  pretty  tradition  that  the  lad  manifested 
Lis~^fixst  inclination  for  art  by  painting  a  Ma- 
donna with  the  juices  of  flowers,  in  such  charm- 
ing colors  as  to  surprise  all  his  friends.  Gilbert 
has  recently  examined  this  fresco,  which  is  still 
preserved,  and  admits  the  probability  of  the  truth 
of  the  tradition. 

The  tribune,  Gregorio  Vecelli,  owned  little 
but  his  sword  and  his  ancestral  traditions,  and 
found  his  family  increasing  about  him.  He  re- 
membered that  for  centuries  the  Vecelli  had  been 
lawyers  and  soldiers,  and  had  won  much  honor, 
but  few  ducats ;  and  he  was  now  about  to  choose 


12  TITIAN. 

a  profession  for  his  son.  Perhaps  Titian  had 
already  manifested  his  love  for  art,  either  in  the 
fresco  of  the  Madonna  or  elsewhere,  and  thus 
influenced  the  parental  decision ;  for  it  was  re- 
solved in  the  family  councils  that  he  should 
study  painting  at  Venice. 

The  young  mountaineer  descended  the  Val 
Piave,  crossed  the  Lagune,  and  entered  the  City 
of  the  Sea,  in  the  year  1488,  when  he  was  about 
ten  years  old.  With  what  amazement  must  he 
have  contemplated  the  archipelago  of  palaces, 
the  busy  traffic  of  the  merchants,  the  tumultu- 
ous crowds  on  the  squares,  the  churches,  the 
fleets,  the  thronged  canals  !  He  was  placed  in 
the  care  of  his  uncle,  who  lived  in  the  city,  and 
commenced  to  study  with  a  good  will.  His  first 
master  appears  to  have  been  Sebastian  Zuccato, 
the  syndic  of  the  guild  of  mosaic-workers,  from 
whom  he  passed  to  the  instruction  of  the  Bellini, 
and  the  companionship  of  Palma  and  Giorgione. 

Venice  was  then  at  the  zenith  of  her  power, 
occupying  a  position  like  that  of  ancient  Tyre,  or 
modern  England,  with  a  population  of  skilful 
mariners,  intrepid  discoverers  and  colonists  along 
the  midland  seas,  and  ingenious   inventors   an«' 


VENICE.  13 

manufacturers.  At  one  time  she  had  a  na\y  of 
forty-five  galleys,  and  a  merchant  marine  of 
thirty-three  hundred  vessels,  and  owned  a  fourth 
of  the  Byzantine  Empire,  together  with  Crete  and 
the  rich  Levantine  and  Adriatic  ports,  and  much 
of  Northern  "Italy.  Her  impregnable  insular 
position  insured  an  easily  guarded  independ- 
ence ;  and  no  power  could  insult  her  traders  with- 
out bringing  down  a  Venetian  war-fleet  against 
its  ports.  The  oligarchy  was  composed  of  mer- 
chant-princes, whose  galleys  fought  with  the  rival 
squadrons  of  Genoa  and  Pisa,  or  the  Normans  in 
Southern  Italy,  or  the  marauding  Saracens  from 
the  African  coast.  Her  mariners'  knew  the  seas 
and  coasts  from  Iceland  to  Sumatra ;  and  formed 
six  trading  fleets  annually,  manned  and  convoyed 
at  the  public  expense,  and  sent  to  Southern 
Russia,  the  Greek  ports,  the  Armenian  and  Syri- 
an coasts,  Alexandria,  the  Moorish  cities  of 
Spain  and  Africa,  and  the  British  Isles  and  the 
ports  of  the  Netherlands.  The.  Venetians  were 
the  common  carriers  and  mercantile  agents  be- 
tween Europe  and  the  Orient,  and  derived  enor- 
mous wealth  from  their  commissions.  They  were 
superstitiously    devout,    delighting    in    religious 


14  TITIAN. 

ceremonials,  and  adorning  their  churches  and 
convents  with  lavish  prodigality.  Though  it  had 
been  founded  by  St.  Theodore  and  cherished  by 
St.  Mark,  and  was  peopled  with  legends  of  mira- 
cles, the  city  was  jealous  of  Rome,  and  refused 
to  allow  her  jurisdiction,  excluding  ecclesiastics 
from  the  councils,  electing  priests  by  parishioners, 
and  devolving  the  control  of  the  church  upon  a 
patriarch  appointed  by  the  nobles. 

Uiitil  the  fifteenth  century  the  Venetians  were 
too  busy  in  their  career  of  maritime  discovery 
and  commerce  to  give  attention  to  literature  and 
art.  They  were  not  indifferent  to  the  beauties  of 
sculpture  and  mosaic  work,  and  enriched  their 
city  with  masterpieces  of  these  arts ;  but  they 
were  trophies  of  foreign  wars,  and  not  of  local 
production.  During  the  era  of  Italian  anarchy, 
early  in  the  fourteenth  century,  certain  painters 
from  the  mainland  and  from  beyond  the  Alps 
reached  Venice,  and  exercised  a  strong  influence 
upon  her  crude  Byzantine  traditions.  In  little 
more  than  a  hundred  years  Venetian  art  reached 
its  climax  in  Titian  and  Tintoretto,  and  it  per- 
ished in  the  next  century. 

The  first  paintings   of   any  account  were   the 


VENETIAN  ART.  15 

rude  historical  frescos  in  the  Hall  of  the  Great 
Council ;  and  when  these  became  deteriorated 
by  time,  there  were  no  local  artists  competent  to 
restore  them,  and  the  government  induced  Gen- 
tile da  Fabriano  and  Vittore  Pisano  to  visit  the 
city  for  that  purpose.  Under  their  influence  was 
founded  the  Muranese  school,  which  combined 
the  Umbrian  mysticism  with  German  conscien- 
tiousness, while  the  guild  of  painters  also  modi- 
fied their  Byzantine  manner,  Jacopo  Bellini,  a 
pupil  of  Fabriano,  settled  at  Padua,  and  asso- 
ciated himself  with  Donatello,  the  great  Floren- 
tine sculptor.  He  also  married  his  daughter  to 
Mantegna,  the  foremost  artist  of  Italy,  whose 
frescos  were  the  study  and  admiration  of 
Raphael.  Jacopo's  sons,  Gentile  and  Giovanni, 
were  thus  brought  into  familiar  contact  with  two 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  century,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  school  of  Fabriano,  and  influ- 
enced by  the  rich  coloring  of  the  Flemish  artists 
and  the  Vivarini  of  Murano.  The  Bellini  be- 
came the  founders  of  the  true  Venetian  school, 
with  new  realistic  ideas,  correct  perspective, 
landscape  effects,  and  the  study  of  classic  sculp- 
ture and  nude  forms.     They  gathered  a  powerful 


1 6  TITIAN. 

company  of  disciples,  and  effected  such  a  revolu- 
tion in  art,  that  Venice  was  almost  repaid  for  her 
loss  of  the  mastery  of  the  seas,  by  becoming  one 
of  the  three  great  centres  of  Italian  culture. 

When  Titian  entered  Gentile's  studio,  the  mas- 
ter was  nearly  seventy  years  old,  and  was  distin- 
guished for  his  serious  manner,  scientific  perspec- 
tive, and  skilful  composition.  His  house  was 
adorned  with  many  works  of  art,  and  contained 
a  valuable  collection  of  antiques,  from  which  his 
pupils  derived  some  knowledge  of  the  classic. 
The  studio  was  near  the  Rialto  Square,  the  heart 
of  Venice,  where  the  schools  of  art  and  music 
were,  near  the  colonnades  where  the  patricians 
and  merchants  met,  and  the  multitudinous  booths 
of  the  bankers,  traders,  and  commercial  agents. 
Bellini  had  already  finished  his  active  labors  in 
the  Council  Hall  and  elsewhere.  In  1479  he  was 
invited  to  Constantinople  to  paint  portraits  of 
Mehemet  and  the  Sultana,  and  presented  the 
Sultan  with  a  picture  of  the  decapitation  of  St. 
John.  The  Turk  criticised  the  appearance  of  the 
saint's  neck,  and  proved  the  validity  of  his  objec- 
tion by  having  the  head  of  a  slave  struck  off  in 
the  artist's  presence.     Gentile   found  the  air  of 


EARLY  STUDIES.  1 7 

Constantinople  oppressive  after  this  episode,  and 
speedily  returned  to  Venice. 

Titian  soon  mastered  tlie  habit  of  minute  draw- 
ing which  characterized  Gentile's  style  Dolce 
says  that  the  venerable  teacher  was  displeased 
with  the  youth's  bold  and  rapid  sketching,  and 
estranged  him  by  opposing  it ;  upon  which  he 
withdrew,  and  entered  the  studio  of  Giovanni 
Bellini,  a  younger  and  better  painter.  His  style 
was  brilliant,  with  boldness  of  touch,  harmony 
and  broad  contrasts  in  lights  and  shades,  sweet- 
ness of  expression,  and  conscientious  execution. 

No  details  of  Titian's  life  as  a  pupil  remain  \ 
and  it  can  only  be  inferred  that  he  was  a  diligent 
worker  and  a  careful  observer.  He  was  probably 
confined  to  the  city  during  all  these  years,  unable 
by  reason  of  poverty  to  visit  his  Alpine  home. 
From  the  Lagime  he  could  see  the  tall  crest  of 
Mount  Antelao  towering  amid  the  dim  Venetian 
Alps,  and  think  fondly  of  the  snug  cottage  in  the 
Vale  of  Cadore,  with  the  dear  ones  under  its 
humble  roof. 


l8  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Palma,  Giorgione,  and  other  Artists.  —  Titian's  First  Works.  — 
Venetian  Wars.  —  Aldine  Academy.  —  The  League  of  Cam- 
brai.  —  Titian  at  Padua. 

Palma  Vecchio  of  Bergamo  was  older  than 
Titian,  and  was  a  prolific  and  original  painter, 
favored  by  noble  Venetian  and  Friulian  families, 
and  eminent  for  his  portraits  of  women.  His 
range  was  narrow,  but  included  correct  designing, 
vigorous  coloring,  and  a  fondness  for  rich  sum- 
mer-day backgrounds.  The  biographers  say, 
somewhat  paradoxically,  that  he  had  three  lovely 
daughters,  but  no  family. 

Giorgione  was  born  in  the  same  year  with 
Titian,  near  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  and  studied  with 
him  under  Giovanni  Bellini.  His  name  means 
"  Great  George,"  in  allusion  to  his  noble  figure 
and  personal  beauty.  He  was  also  a  poet  and 
musician,  fond  of  pleasure,  but  of  pure  life.  His 
paintings  were  dignified  in  character,  rich  in  color, 
free   and  vigorous  in  outline,  and  distinguished 


ARTISTS  AT  VENICE.  19 

for  bold  relief  and  an  admirable  blending  of  tints 
He  soon  abandoned  the  Bellinesque  manner,  and 
derived  great  benefit  from  the  study  of  the  works 
of  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 

These  three — ^alma,  Giorgione,  and  Titian  — 
were  the  founders  of  the  new  school  of  Venetian 
art  in  its  advance  beyond  the  standards  of  the 
Bellini.  Titian  admired  the  new  manner  of  Gior- 
gione, and  studied  his  pictures  carefully  and 
secretly.  He  set  himself  to  win  the  esteem  of 
the  rising  master,  who  at  last  gave  him  instruc- 
tion in  his  doctrixies,  and  employed  him  as  an 
assistant.  The  earlier  works  of  the  young  Cado- 
rine  partook  sometimes  of  the  nature  of  Gior- 
gione's,  sometimes  of  Palma's,  and  again  of  still 
other  forms.  His  genius  even  then  was  capable 
of  expanding  in  different  directions,  and  com- 
passing the  merits  of  diverse  technical  styles, 
while  assimilating  their  best  traits.  His  adherence 
to  nature  was  close  and  sometimes  seductive, 
ignoring  equally  the  idealism  of  the  Greeks  and 
the  statuesque  elevation  of  the  Tuscan  masters. 
His  siyle  was  the  consummate  flower  of  the  rising 
art  of  Venice,  and  not  ^the  development  of  tne 
canons  of  any  one  studio. 


«0  TITIAA\ 

The  aged  Antonello  da  Messina  was  then  in 
the  city,  with  Pino  and  Vencziano  in  his  studio. 
He  was  a  Sicilian  by  birth,  and  had  studied  at 
Rome  and  Naples,  where  he  first  saw  oil-paint- 
ings, whose  preparation  was  invented  by  Van 
Eyck  of  Bruges.  He  was  so  enamoured  with  the 
beauty  of  the  new  process,  that  he  crossed  the 
Alps,  and  dwelt  with  Van  Eyck  in  his  Flemish 
home,  where  he  learned  the  secret  of  painting  in 
oil.  With  this  rich  possession  he  returned  to  the 
peninsula,  and  was  the  first  who  executed  oil- 
paintings  in  Italy.  He  settled  at  Venice,  and  in 
1474  revealed  the  secret  to  the  chief  artists  there, 
for  which  he  received  a  pension  from  the  State. 

Cima  da  Conegliano  was  then  at  Venice,  and 
was  already  eminent  as  a  painter  of  portraits  and 
altar-pieces,  whose  coloring  "glistens  like  jewels." 
Carpaccio  was  also  here,  competing  with  the  Bel- 
lini, and  designing  his  great  series  of  paintings  of 
the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Ursula.  At  Murano  was 
the  busy  studio  of  the  Vivarini  brothers,  who 
were  descended  from  a  long  line  of  artists,  and 
had  been  associated  with  certain  German  painters. 
They  also  had  mastered  the  art  of  oil-painting, 
and  were  in  hot  rivalrv  with  the  Bellini. 


EARLY  WORKS.  21 

The  first  recorded  work  of  Titian  was  a  fresco 
of  Hercules,  on  the  front  of  the  Morosini  Palace, 
which  is  now  obHterated.  The  portraits  c^  his 
parents,  which  have  disappeared,  were  probably 
made  during  a  visit  to  Cadore ;  when  he  also 
executed  the  Madonna  which  is  preserved  in  the 
village  chapel.  The  Madonna  in  the  Vienna 
Belvedere  is  a  similar  early  work,  and  shows 
individuality  breaking  through  imitation,  correct 
drawing  and  finish,  and  infelicity  of  selection. 
The  "  Ecce  Homo  "  in  the  Scuola  di  San  Rocco 
at  Venice  is  a  meagre  work  of  the  same  epoch. 
Other  youthful  works  now  claimed  as  Titian's  are 
of  doubtful  authenticity. 

The  grand  picture  of  "  Sacred  and  Profane 
Love,"  or  "  Artless  and  Sated  Love,"  now  in  the 
Borghese  Palace,  represents  two  beautiful  women, 
one  naked  and  the  other  richly  dressed,  sitting 
on  a  marble  fountain-trough,  in  a  rich  sunset 
landscape.  It  was  painted  about  the  year  1500, 
and  one  of  the  faces  is  a  portrait  of  Violante, 
Palma's  daughter.  There  is  a  tradition  that  the 
young  artist  was  at  this  time  in  love  with 
the  .fair  Violante.  It  is  more  certain  that  he 
was  a  great  admirer  of  Palma's  manner  of  paint- 


22  TITIAN. 

ing,   and  that   he  showed  its  effect  in  this  pic- 
ture. 

The  city  in  which  Titian's  adolescence  was 
passed  was  then  encountering  strange  vicissi- 
tudes. The  capture  of  Constantinople  by  the 
Tuiks,  in  1453,  marked  the  beginning  of  her 
decline ;  and  not  long  after  she  was  forced  to 
surrender  Lemnos  and  Mantinea.  In  1494-97 
Naples  and  Florence  bribed  Sultan  Bajazet  to 
attack  Venice;  and  his  troops  ravaged  Friuli,  and 
wrung  the  Morea  from  the  hands  of  the  Repub- 
lic. The  Levantine  trade  was  ruined,  and  its 
ports  were  closed  to  the  Adriatic  galleys.  The 
Portuguese  opening  of  the  new  sea-passage  to 
India,  and  the  discovery  of  America,  now  com- 
pelled Europe  to  change  front  to  the  west ;  and 
the  sceptre  of  commercial  supremacy  passed 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  ocean  ports, 
leaving  the  Italian  cities  to  silence.^  In  1495 
the  Republic  joined  the  Italian  alliance  against 
Charles  VIII.  of  France ;  and  three  years  later 
she  united  with  France  in  a  war  against   Naples, 

*  The  Suez  Canal  is  reviving  the  old  glories  of  Venice,  in  mir  cLiys ; 
and,  whereas  her  imports  from  India  up  to  1867  scarcely  averaged 
5200,000  annually,  since  1870  they  have  sometimes  reached  $15,000,000 
k  year. 


VENETIAN  WARS.  23 

Milan,  and  Turkey.  In  these  contests  Venetian 
blood  and  treasure  were  fruitlessly  wasted,  and 
the  fleets  were  driven  in  or  annihilated.  In  1499 
the  Turks  destroyed  Grimani's  fleet  at  Lepanto, 
and  the  next  year  they  defeated  Admiral  Trevi- 
sani.  Csesar  Borgia,  the  unspeakably  evil  son  of 
the  basest  of  popes,  now  visited  the  city  to 
demand  certain  ports  of  the  Romagna  coast,  and 
to  proclaim  a  crusade  against  the  Moslems. 
Titian  met  the  Borgia  at  this  time,  and  painted 
his  portrait. 

In  1 501  the  monk  Raphael  preached  the  new 
crusade,  on  St.  Mark's  Square ;  and  Rome,  Hun- 
gary, and  Venice  prepared  to  attack  the  Turks. 
The  commander  of  the  Papal  galleys  was  Jacopo 
da  Pesaro,  Bishop  of  Paphos  ;  whose  kinsman. 
Admiral  Benedetto,  died  of  a  broken  heart,  on 
account  of  the  defeats  of  his  nation.  Before 
sailing,  Jacopo  had  Titian  paint  his  portrait, 
kneeling  before  St.  Peter,  to  whom  he  is  pre- 
sented by  Pope  Alexander  VI. ;  while  in  the 
background  a  fleet  is  seen  at  anchor  before  a 
fortress.  This  brilliant  picture  was  once  owned 
by  Charles  I.  of  England,  at  whose  death  it 
passed  into  Spain.     In   1825  King  William  pre- 


24  TITIAN. 

sented  it  to  the  city  of  Antwerp,  in  whose 
museum  it  is  now  kept,  travel-worn  and  re-paint- 
ed, but  still  full  of  impressive  beauty. 

In  1 50 1  Titian's  grandfather,  the  Councillor 
Conte  Vecelli,  visited  Venice,  and  secured  the 
remission  of  a  state  tax  on  the  woods  and  moun- 
tains, which  was  vexing  the  Cadorines.  It  is 
probable  that  he  visited  and  encouraged  his 
young  kinsman,  who  was  already  well  spoken  of 
in  the  city.  In  1507  the  lawyer,  Tiziano  Vecelli, 
came  down  on  another  embassy,  and  probably 
used  his  influence  for  his  namesake's  advance- 
ment. During  these  years  Titian  made  several 
visits  to  Cadore,  on  one  of  which  he  brousiht 
back  his  younger  brother  Francesco,  to  whom  he 
taught  the  art  of  drawing. 

At  this  time  Aldus  Manutius  was  issuing  fresh 
editions  of  the  ancient  classics  from  his  presses, 
beautiful  in  typography,  and  famous  to  this  day 
for  their  precision.  The  free  spirit  of  the  age 
was  suited  also  with  a  great  variety  of  contem- 
porary literature,  from  the  commentaries  of  the 
ecclejiiastics  to  the  licentious  productions  of  the 
court  writers.  Several  fonts  of  Greek  type  were 
made,  and   were   manipulated   by  fugitl.es  from 


THE  FONDACO  FRESCOS.  25 

the  Moslem  invasion  of  Greece  and  Crete.  Many 
of  the  chief  scholars  of  that  era  sojourned  at 
Venice,  to  aid  in  the  works  ■  of  these  teeming 
presses,  and  founded  the  famous  Aldine  Academy, 
which  included  Linacre,  Ramusius,  Fra  Giocondo, 
Erasmus  of  Rotterdam,  Pietro  Bembo,  and  the 
historian  Navagero.  The  two  last  named  were 
friends  of  Raphael ;  and  it  is  probable  that  several 
of  these  scholars  met  Titian  during  their  frequent 
visits  to  Bellini's  studio,  and  afterwards. 

In  1507  the  State  engaged  Giorgione  to  fresco 
the  new  Fondapo  de'  Tedeschi,  an  immense 
structure  erected  as  a  headquarters  for  the  Ger- 
man merchants,  with  two  halls,  eighty  rooms, 
twenty-six  warehouses,  and  a  cloistered  inner 
court.  Giorgione  transferred  a  part  of  this  work 
to  Titian,  who  decorated  the  south  wall  with  large 
figures  of  Judith,  a  monk,  a  Levantine,  and  a 
nude  woman,  —  grand  frescos,  which  have  long 
since  yielded  to  the  wild  Tramontana  winds. 
Giorgione  adorned  the  remaining  walls  ;  but  his 
fervid  spirit  and  resolute  action  were  fairly  sur- 
passed by  the  grander  forms  of  Titian.  Vasari 
and  Dolce  say  that  the  master  never  forgave  his 
assis*:ant  for  thus   over-matching   him  ;  but  the 


26  TITIAN. 

more  trustworthy  accounts  tell  of  Giorgione's  re- 
joicing at  his  pupil's  excellence,  and  his  graceful 
acknowledgment  of  Titian's  superiority.  It  is 
certain  that  the  young  artist  painted  his  master's 
portrait,  and  that  he  finished  Giorgione's  uncom- 
pleted pictures  after  the  death  of  the  latter. 

In  1508  Venice  refused  to  allow  the  Emperor 
Maximilian  to  lead  an  army  through  her  domains 
to  Rome ;  and  he  advanced  from  the  Tyrol  into 
the  Vale  of  Cadore,  and  reduced  its  fortresses. 
During  the  campaign,  Titian's  father  and  brother 
were  soldiers  in  the  anti-imperialist  ranks,  and 
other  relatives  were  in  the  Venetian  secret  ser- 
vice. Venice  speedily  sent  four  thousand  men, 
with  mountain  guns  and  Stradiot  cavalry,  against 
the  German  invaders,  who  were  soon  defeated 
and  driven  back. 

Between  1508  and  15 11,  Titian  received  no 
important  orders  ;  for  the  money  and  energies  of 
the  people  were  all  devoted  to  the  great  wars  of 
the  Republic.  He,  however,  executed  several 
brilliant  and  highly-finished  easel-pictures,  which 
show  the  strong  influence  of  Palma,  and  certain 
iraits  of  Diirer,  with  the  contemporary  tendency 
of  the  Venetian  artists  to  a  transition  from  the 


EARLY  MADONNAS.  2^ 

severe  classic  traditions  of  contour  a:id  outline 
to  a  close  study  of  nature  and  a  sensuous  richness 
of  coloring.  To  this  period  belong  two  Ma- 
donnas, now  at  the  Vienna  Belvedere  ;  a  Madonna 
and  saints,  in  the  Louvre  ;  the  Madonna  and  St. 
Anthony,  at  Florence  ;  the  Madonna  at  Budeigh 
House  ;  and  portraits  of  the  former  Doges  Mar- 
cello  and  Barbarigo.  Titian  at  this  time  com- 
manded the  services  of  assistants,  whose  work  is 
recognized  in  parts  of  his  pictures.  In  the 
beautiful  Madonna  and  St.  Bridget,  now  at 
Madrid,  the  master  surpassed  his  model,  Palma, 
both  in  dignity  and  grace,  and  fertility  of  resource. 
Early  in  1509  the  power  of  Venice  preponder- 
ated in  Italy,  many  of  whose  cities  were  held  by 
her  lieutenants.  But  the  hostile  states  of  Rome, 
Spain,  France,  and  Germany,  moved  by  the  lust 
of  conquest,  formed  the  League  of  Cambrai,  and 
hurled  their  armies  against  the  gallant  little  Re- 
public. The  Venetian  army  was  defeated  near 
Milan  ;  her  Lombard,  Adriatic,  and  Neapolitan 
cities  were  captured  in  quick  succession  ;  and  the 
Germans  descended  from  the  Tyrol,  and  occupied 
Friuli,  and  ravaged  the  Vale  of  Cadore.  The 
vnsulted  State  then  gathered  her  best  sons,  and 


28  TIT/AN. 

fell  upon  the  invading  hordes,  recovering  city 
after  city,  until  the  League  Avas  broken  by  inter- 
nal dissensions,  and  Venice  received  her  own 
again.  Titian's  brother  Francesco  was  one  of 
the  most  valiant  of  the  Cadorine  volunteers,  and 
vanquished  a  German  captain  during  the  imperi- 
alist assault  on  Padua ;  while  his  father  was  en- 
gaged at  the  defence  of  the  Castle  of  Cadore, 
where  the  Germans  were  rudely  repulsed,  Fran- 
cesco was  severely  wounded,  and  was  taken  back 
to  Venice  by  Titian,  who  had  a  great  love  for 
him. 

The  "  Christ  of  the  Tribute  Money  "  was  exe- 
cuted before  15  n,  and  is  now  one  of  the  choicest 
masterpieces  of  the  Dresden  Gallery.  Scanelli 
says  that  a  company  of  German  travellers  once 
visited  Titian's  studio,  and  praised  the  careful 
finish  of  Diirer's  paintings,  which  they  held  as 
above  the  possibilities  of  the  Venetian  artists. 
The  master  denied  that  such  extreme  refining  of 
details  was  the  best  aim  of  art,  which  should 
rather  seek  breadth  and  grandeur  of  expression ; 
yet,  in  order  to  prove  that  he  could  combine  both 
traits,  he  painted  this  picture.  It  shows  the 
youthful  and  divine  beauty  of  the  Saviour  in  con- 


IISIT  TO  PADUA.  29 

trast  with  the  dark  and  shaggy  Pharisee,  to  whose 
crafty  question  He  answers  :  "  Render  unto  Csesar 
the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the 
things  that  are  God's."  Even  the  fine  down  on  the 
faces,  the  most  delicate  veins,  the  texture  of  tlie 
robes,  may  be  discerned ;  and  the  hairs  in  the 
ringlets  on  Christ's  shoulders  may  be  counted. 
The  highest  critical  authority  has  proclaimed  this 
"  the  most  perfect  easel-picture  of  which  Venice 
ever  witnessed  the  production,  and  the  most  pol- 
ished work  of  Titian." 

The  attack  of  the  Cambrai  League  was  almost 
fatal  to  the  art  of  Venice,  since  it  drew  the  treas- 
ure and  the  attention  of  the  patricians  to  other 
objects.  The  flight  of  provincial  artists  from  the 
besieged  cities  to  the  capital  was  soon  followed 
by  a  general  dispersion  in  search  of  more  peace- 
ful realms. 

In  15 1 1  Titian  went  to  Padua,  the  centre  of 
intellectual  culture  in  the  Venetian  domains,  and 
the  seat  of  a  venerable  university,  museums, 
libraries,  and  collections  of  antiquities.  Here  he 
engaged  Domenico  Campagnola  as  an  assistant, 
and  devolved  most  of  his  work  upon  him,  as  if 
m  contempt   of  the   criticism   of   the   provincial 


^O  TITIAN. 

connoisseurs.  They  decorated  the  fagade  of  the 
palace  of  Alvise  Cornaro,  a  wealthy  and  erudite 
patrician  and  patron  of  letters  ;  and  executed  an 
inferior  fresco  of  Joachim  and  Anna,  in  the 
Scuola  del  Carmine.  Another  work,  whose  mem- 
ory is  perpetuated  oniy  by  a  series  of  rude  en- 
gravings, showing  grand  energy  and  exuberant 
life,  was  a  series  of  frescos  representing  the  Tri- 
umph of  Faith,  of  which  Rio  says  that  they  are 
"  a  masterpiece  worthy  of  a  Christian  painter." 

The  chief  works  at  Padua  were  three  finely 
designed  frescos  in  the  Scuola  del  Santo,  repre- 
senting scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Anthony, 
whose  unsatisfactory  execution  shows  that  the 
master  slighted  and  disliked  the  art  of  frescoing, 
which  was  generally  avoided  by  the  Venetians. 
From  Padua  Titian  and  Campagnola  went  to 
Vicenza,  where  they  made  the  fresco  of  "  The 
Judgment  of  Solomon,"  for  the  courts  of  justice. 
In  the  following  spring  the  master  returned  to 
Venice,  and  decorated  the  fa9ade  of  the  Gri- 
mani  Palace. 


S2:  MARJC.  31 


CHAPTER   III. 

Invited  to  Rome.  —  Titian  becomes  Painter  to  the  State.  —  Visit 
to  Ferrara.  —  Ariosto.  —  The  Assumption,  and  other  Paint- 
ings. —  Bordone. 

After  destroying  Cadore,  in  the  winter  of 
1511-12,  the  Emperor  made  a  truce  with  Venice, 
and  sent  his  dogs  of  war  to  harry  other  states. 
The  Doge  and  Senate  instituted  a  splendid  festi- 
val in  honor  of  their  deliverance  from  the  dangers 
of  the  League ;  and  during  this  spring-time  of 
gladness  Titian  returned,  and  executed  for  the 
canons  of  San  Spirito  a  picture  which  symbolized 
the  triumph  of  the  Republic,  by  showing  its  great 
patron,  St.  Mark,  enthroned  araong  other  saints. 
This  great  work  combines  the  marvellous  fulness 
of  Giorgione  with  the  soft  golden  tones  of  Palma, 
and  an  unusual  classic  dignity  derived  from  the 
study  of  the  antiques  at  Padua. 

The  catastrophes  which  had  befallen  the  city 
had  left  Titian  its  foremost  painter,  by  removing 
the  competition  of  several  great  rivals.     Sebas- 


32  TITIAN. 

tiano  del  Piombo  had  emigrated  to  Rome,  and  Lo- 
renzo Lotto  to  the  Romagna  ;  Gentile  Bellini  was 
dead,  Giovanni  was  now  past  ninety,  and  Car- 
paccio  was  too  old  to  do  much.  Giorgione  had 
sunk  into  a  fatal  despondency  after  his  beloved 
had  been  seduced  and  carried  away  by  Morto  da 
Feltre  ;  and  when  the  great  pestilence  which  de- 
stroyed twenty  thousand  persons  in  Venice  came, 
the  noble  and  stately  artist,  in  the  flower  of  his 
years,  joined  the  long  procession  of  the  dead. 

Omnivorous  Rome  was  now  drawing  all  the 
genius  of  Italy  to  her  seven  hills,  and  had  already 
secured  Raphael,  Angelo,  and  Sebastiano.  Bem- 
bo,  who  had  known  Titian  when  with  the  Bellini, 
was  secretary  to  Pope  Leo  X.,  and  invited  him  to 
the  Eternal  City,  probably  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
Pontiff.  But  Navagero  persuaded  the  master  to 
decline  the  flattering  offer,  aided  in  his  argu- 
ments by  the  intense  local  patriotism  of  mediaeval 
Italy,  and  perhaps  by  his  reluctance  to  compete 
with  Raphael  and  Angelo,  who  were  then  at  the 
zenith  of  their  fame. 

In  May,  15 13,  he  submitted  to  the  Council  of 
Ten  a  petition  beginning  thus :  "  I,  Titian  of 
Cadore,  having  studied  painting  from  childhood 


STATE  PATRONAGE.  33 

upwards,  and  desirous  of  fame  rather  than  profit, 
wish  to  serve  the  Doge  and  Signori,  rather  than 
His  Highness  the  Pope  and  other  Signori,  who  in 
past  days,  and  even  now,  have  urgently  asked  to 
employ  me.  I  am  therefore  anxious,  if  it  should 
appear  feasible,  to  paint  in  the  Hall  of  Council." 
He  left  the  compensation  to  the  discretion  of  the 
State,  but  demanded  two  assistants,  and  the  first 
vacant  brokership  in  the  Fondaco  de'  Tedeschi ; 
all  of  which  conditions  were  accepted  by  the  gov- 
ernment. But  Bellini  had  worked  on  this  hall 
until  it  seemed  to  him  a  vested  right,  with  rich 
perquisites ;  and  he  hastened  to  secure  a  reversal 
of  Titian's  appointment.  New  intrigues  followed, 
and  Titian  was  re-established,  but  was  continu- 
ally harassed  by  Bellini's  plots  and  manoeuvres 
for  several  years.  Inexplicable  delays  occurred 
in  his  prosecution  of  the  work,  and  called  out 
official  reprimands  and  admonitions ;  and  it  was 
many  years  before  he  finished  the  first  painting 
in  the  hall.  He  received  from  the  State  a  studio 
in  the  old  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Milan,  finely 
situated  on  the  Grand  Canal,  midway  between 
the  Doges'  Palace  and  the  Rial  to,  which  he  re- 
tained for  sixteen  years.     The  broker's  patent  in 


34  TITIAN. 

the  Fondaco  gave  him  an  annuity  of  a  hundred 
ducats,  with  exemption  from  taxation  ;  and  a  fur- 
ther reward  of  twenty-five  ducats  for  the  portrait 
of  the  Doge,  which  it  was  the  official  duty  of  the 
painter-broker  to  make. 

Early  in  1516,  Titian  visited  quaint  old  Ferrara, 
on  the  marshy  plain  of  the  Po  ;  the  capital  of  a 
duchy  subject  to  Venice,  and  ruled  by  Alfonso 
d'Este,  who  was  generously  devoted  to  fostering 
a  rich  exotic  culture,  and  rivalling  Urbino  in 
attracting  artists  and  authors.  After  the  deso- 
lating storm  of  the  Cambrai  League,  Ferrara 
'^egan  to  adorn  herself,  and  to  enrich  the  pon- 
derous castle-palace,  which  still  rises  above  its 
surrounding  moats,  "  the  finest  complete  middle- 
age  fortress  in  Italy."  Here  the  Duchess,  the 
celebrated  Lucrezia  Borgia,  ruled  the  court  pious- 
ly and  liberally.  The  Duke  knew  Raphael, 
Angelo,  and  other  masters,  and  labored  earnestly 
to  get  them  to  send  him  paintings  for  the  castle. 
Pellegrino  and  the  Dossi  had  worked  in  his 
halls ;  and  Giovanni  Bellini  painted  for  him  a 
beautiful  Bacchanal,  to  which  Titian,  ten  years 
later,  added  a  background  showing  the  Castle  of 
Cadore, 


PAINTINGS  AT  FERRARA.  35 

Titian's  first  Ferrarese  picture  was  based  on  a 
description  by  Philostratus,  and  shows  a  g''oup 
of  nymphs  around  a  statue  of  Venus,  with  winged 
cupids  merrily  playing  in  the  orchard  of  sacred 
apples.  This  rare  picture  was  a  favorite  study 
for  artists ;  and  Domenichino  burst  into  tears 
when  it  was  carried  to  distant  Spain.  "The 
Three  Ages  "  shows  a  quiet  idyllic  landscape, 
with  two  sleeping  children,  a  handsome  shepherd 
caressing  a  flower-crowned  maiden,  and  an  old 
man  contemplating  two  skulls.  This  sub'^le  alle- 
gory marks  the  innate  poetry  of  the  artist's  mind, 
and  his  deep  sympathy  with  nature.  The  "  Noli 
Me  Tangere,"  bequeathed  by  the  poet  Rogers 
to  the  National  Gallery,  shows  the  risen  Christ 
withdrawing  himself  from  the  Magdalen.  The 
background  is  full  of  rare  tranquillity  and  poetic 
peace,  spanning  the  deep  blue  of  an  evening  sky 
over  a  quiet  bay.  "  The  Virgin's  Rest "  com- 
bines heavenly  pathos  and  solemn  grandeur ; 
showing  the  flower-bearing  John  and  the  radiant 
Catherine  before  the  Virgin  and  Child,  in  a 
broad  and  beautiful  sunset  landscape.  Charles 
V.  kept  this  picture  among  his  choicest  treasures, 
and  it  is  now  in  the  National  Gallery. 


36  Titian: 

Titian  also  painted  a  portrait  of  the  broad- 
browed  and  clear- eyed  Alfonso  d'Este,  which 
was  much  admired  by  Michael  Angelo ;  and 
another  of  the  majestic  Duchess  Lucrezia.  The 
former  is  at  Madrid,  but  the  latter  is  lost.  The 
portrait  of  Ariosto,  now  at  Cobham  Hall,  was 
the  purest  and  richest  work  of  Titian's  Giorgion- 
esque  period ;  and  a  second  portrait,  in  the 
National  Gallery,  shows  the  pensive  poet, 
long-haired  and  richly  dressed,  standing  by  a 
laurel-bush.  It  is  said  that  Titian  and  Ariosto 
were  godfathers  to  each  other's  children,  and 
that  they  formed  a  league  of  intellect,  in  which 
"Apelles"  painted  "Homer's"  portrait,  and 
"  Homer  "  consulted  "  Apelles  "  about  his  new 
poem  of  "Orlando  Furioso."  They  were  cer- 
tainly intimate  with  each  other ;  and  Ariosto 
said,  in  his  revised  edition  of  the  "  Orlando," 
that  Titian  honored  Cadore  not  less  than  Sebas- 
tiano  did  Venice,  or  Raphael  Urbino. 

The  old  chroniclers  say  that  the  Duke  paid 
Titian  generously,  lodged  him  in  the  palace,  ear- 
ned him  to  and  from  Venice  in  the  state-barge, 
made  him  a  knight,  and  offered  to  introduce  him 
at  the  Roman  court.     Throughout  1517  the  mas- 


''THE  ASSUMPTION."  37 

ter  corresponded  with  Alfonso,  in  the  subservient 
Venetian  manner,  so  different  from  the  frank  free- 
dom of  Raphael's  and  Angelo's  letters.  Mean- 
time the  Bishop  of  Adria  was  vainly  entreating 
Raphael  to  paint  his  long-promised  picture  for 
Ferrara  ;  and  the  angry  Duke  wrote  to  his  agent, 
"  Go  to  Raphael,  and  tell  him  that  it  is  now  three 
years  since  he  began  to  lure  us  with  promises, 
.  .  .  and  that  if  he  does  not  do  his  duty  he  will 
soon  find  out  the  mistake  he  has  made."  This 
also  was  in  vain,  and  Alfonso  ordered  a  Bac- 
chanal from  Titian,  for  the  castle-studio.  The 
artist  accepted  the  commission  in  an  adulatory 
letter ;  and  his  patron  soon  visited  the  Venetian 
studio,  and  gave  him  personal  directions. 

"  The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,"  which  is 
considered  as  Titian's  greatest  work,  was  first 
exhibited  on  the  festival  of  San  Bernardino,  in  a 
splendid  marble  frame  over  the  high  altar  of  the 
Frari  Church  at  Venice.  It  shows  the  radiant 
Bride  of  Heaven  among  the  clouds,  surrounded 
by  choirs  of  innocent  angels,  reaching  her  arms 
upward  through  the  intense  glory  toward  the 
serene  and  welcoming  face  of  the  Eternal 
Father,   amid   His  great   archangels ;   while    the 


38  TITIAN. 

adoring  apostles  stand  on  the  shadowy  earth 
below,  and  gaze  upward  at  the  beauteous  appari 
tion.  The  mirthsomeness  of  the  "Venus  Wor- 
ship," and  the  melodious  tranquillity  of  "The 
Three  Ages,"  are  here  replaced  by  a  reverent 
spirituality  and  a  serene  elevation  of  style,  aided 
by  wonderful  technical  artifices,  and  a  masterly 
contrast  of  brightness  and  gloom.  Admiring 
crowds  filled  the  church,  and  proclaimed  Titian 
the  foremost  painter  of  Venice ;  and  the  im- 
perial legate  offered  a  great  price  for  the  picture. 
Darkened  though  it  is  by  candle-smoke,  and  hurt 
by  repainting,  it  is  still  the  pride  of  the  Venetian 
Academy. 

Before  15 19  the  master  painted  "The  Annun- 
ciation "  for  the  Cathedral  of  Treviso,  showing 
the  joyful  archangel  delivering  the  heavenly 
message  to  the  Virgin,  in  a  splendid  marble 
palace  whose  portico  opens  on  a  warm  Italian 
landscape.  He  also  executed  several  frescos, 
now  nearly  obliterated,  in  Treviso,  which  had 
been  dilapidated  during  its  long  siege  by  the 
Leaguers  of  Cambrai ;  and  used  his  influence  in 
favor  of  Pordenonc,  afterwards  his  enemy, 
who    had   frescoed    the    Ravagnino    Palace    and 


PARIS  BORDONE.  39 

Other  Trevisan  buildings,  but  could  not  get  his 
pay. 

The  Venetian  government  now  threatened 
Titian,  that  unless  he  stopped  painting  for  other 
princes,  and  resumed  and  continued  his  works  in 
the  Doges'  Palace,  they  should  be  finished  at  his 
expense.  But  he  ignored  this  admonition,  and 
leisurely  continued  his  numerous  outside  com- 
missions and  the  instruction  of  his  pupils. 
Among  the  latter  was  Paris  Bordone  of  Treviso, 
a  well-educated  patrician,  who  was  already 
doing  famous  work,  and  who  acquired  his  mas- 
ter's manner  so  well  that  their  pictures  were 
often  confounded  by  connoisseurs. 


40  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Works  for  Ferrara,  Ancona  and  Brescia.  —  Homeward  Jour- 
ney. —  Venetian  Nobles.  —  Visit  to  Mantua.  —  Bacchus  and 
Ariadne.  —  The  Venuses.  —  The  Entombment. 

Late  in  15 19,  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  wrote  an 
angry  letter,  complaining  of  Titian's  delay  on  his 
commission  ;  but  the  imperturbable  artist  rejoined 
that  he  would  bring  it  when  completed,  and  went 
off  to  Padua.  A  month  later  he  sailed  up  the 
Po,  bearing  the  "  Bacchanal,"  a  brilliant  composi- 
tion, full  of  gorgeous  color  and  luscious  charm, 
portraying  a  merry  drunken  orgy  of  Ariadne  and 
the  half-dressed  Bacchantes,  with  the  inscription : 
"  Who  drinks  not  over  and  over  again,  knows  not 
what  drinking  is."  This  picture  and  the  "Venus 
Worship  "  were  removed  to  Rome  by  Cardinal 
Aldobrandini,  in  1528;  and  they  were  presented 
to  the  King  of  Spain  by  Cardinal  Ludovisi,  in  1638. 
Rubens  made  fine  copies  of  them,  which  were  car- 
ried from  Madrid  as  spoils  of  war  by  Bernadotte, 
and  adorned  the  royal  palace  of  Stockholm. 


THE  MARQUIS  OF  MANTUA.  41 

During  his  annual  visit  to  Cadore  in  this  year, 
Titian  decorated  with  arabesques  a  room  in  the 
I-"^nse  of  his  favorite  cousin  Tiziano,  the  poet  and 
orator,  who  was  a  person  of  great  influence 
among  the  Cadorines. 

At  the  Carnival  of  1520,  the  master  first  met 
the  young  Marquis  of  Mantua,  who  afterwards 
became  one  of  his  best  patrons.  Tebaldeo,  the 
envoy  of  his  uncle  Alfonso  d'Este,  was  then 
familiar  with  every  canvas  in  Titian's  studio,  and 
doubtless  brought  the  Marquis  hither.  Here  he 
saw  the  "  Flora,"  now  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery,  a 
light  and  brilliant  picture  of  a  surpassingly  lovely 
and  seductively  clad  woman,  with  features  of 
antique  purity  and  ideal  grace.  It  is  the  popular 
belief  that  this  represents  the  mistress  of  Titian. 

After  the  death  of  Lucrezia,  the  Duke  of  Fer- 
rara  married  the  humble  Laura  Dianti,  and 
abandoned  the  intricate  paths  of  diplomacy  in 
favor  of  art  and  literature,  and  the  amenities  of 
his  peaceful  court.  He  kept  up  a  friendly  corre- 
spondence with  Titian,  who  executed  many  com- 
missions for  him,  finding  skilled  workmen  for 
the  new  maiolica  works  at  Ferrara,  and  himself 
designing    several    maiolica   vases,   which   were 


42  TITIAN. 

baked  in  the  Murano  furnaces,  and  sent  to 
Alfonso.  In  May  he  visited  Ferrara  to  retouch 
one  of  his  pictures,  and  promised  to  paint  Bac- 
chus and  Ariadne  for  his  patron.  Six  months 
later  he  feebly  excused  himself  for  delaying  the 
new  work,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  no  canvas ; 
but  the  Duke's  envoy  knew  that  he  had  just  fin- 
ished a  famous  "  St.  Sebastian "  for  the  new 
Brescian  altar-piece,  and  bluntly  told  him  that 
his  reasons  were  as  artful  as  his  pencils,  and  that 
since  he  had  touched  the  money  of  the  priests  he 
had  ceased  to  care  for  the  service  of  Ferrara. 
Titian  replied  that  the  St.  Sebastian  was  his  best 
work,  though  poorly  requited,  and  that  he  was 
willing  to  work  for  the  Duke  night  and  day, 
regardless  of  priests  and  monks.  The  wily  agent 
persuaded  him  to  sell  the  picture  secretly  to 
Alfonso,  and  replace  it  with  a  copy ;  but  the 
Duke  declined  to  receive  it,  either  from  a  sense 
of  honor,  or  from  fear  of  offending  the  Papal 
Legate  Averoldo,  for  whom  it  had  been  painted. 
At  the  same  time  he  pressed  the  mortified  artist 
to  finish  the  works  which  he  had  previously 
promised. 

Though   so   many  princes   and   prelates  were 


VISIT  TO    THE  HILLS.  43 

urging  on  his  pencil,  the  master  now  yielded  to 
his  longing  for  the  hill-country,  and  journeyed  to 
Conegliano,  at  the  foot  of  the  Venetian  Alps, 
where  he  received  the  freehold  of  a  house  in  re- 
turn for  a  series  of  frescos  on  the  front  of  the 
Scuola  di  Santa  Maria  Nuova.  He  adorned  this 
new  house  with  frescos,  and  made  it  a  stopping- 
place  on  his  long  and  frequent  journeys  to 
Cadore.  On  this  excursion  to  the  North,  he 
probably  carried  the  portrait  of  himself,  which  he 
had  painted  for  his  family ;  and  which,  after  his 
cousin  Tiziano  died,  was  called  "  common  prop- 
erty, as  the  incomparable  and  precious  gift  of 
their  relative  Titian."  In  1728  Zuliano,  the 
treacherous  guardian  of  Alessandro  Vecelli,  car- 
ried this  picture  to  Venice,  and  sold  it. 

In  152 1  the  Doge  Loredano  died,  after  a  stormy 
reign  of  twenty  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  An- 
tonio Grimani,  a  noble  patrician  eighty-seven 
years  old,  who  had  amassed  enormous  wealth  in 
the  Levant  trade,  and  had  bought  a  cardinalate 
for  his  son.  While  commanding  two  hundred 
Venetian  ships  at  Lepanto,  he  was  defeated  by 
the  Turkish  fleet,  and  carried  home  in  irons. 
After   an   incarceration   of   seven   years   on   the 


44  TITIAN. 

island  of  Cherson,  in  the  Black  Sea,  he  escaped 
to  his  son  at  Rome,  where  he  reconciled  the  Pope 
to  Venice,  and  was  thereupon  pardoned  by  the 
Republic,  of  which  he  soon  became  the  Doge. 
Within  two  years  Titian  painted  for  him  four 
portraits,  of  which  three  still  remain  at  Venice, 
Padua,  and  Vienna,  representing  a  tall,  careworn, 
and  venerable  old  man,  with  a  strong  and  heroic 
face.  The  state  portrait  in  the  Council  Hall  was 
destroyed  in  the  fire  of  1577,  and  the  votive  pic- 
ture usually  given  to  the  doges  was  not  completed 
until  after  1550. 

Late  in  152 1  the  impatient  Alfonso  invited 
Titian  to  spend  Christmas  at  Ferrara,  and  then 
accompany  him  on  his  visit  of  homage  to  the  new 
Pope  at  Rome.  But  the  independent  artist  de- 
clined these  offers,  and  went  off  to  Brescia,  whence 
he  returned  to  Venice  afflicted  with  a  severe  fever. 
Alfonso's  agent  stormed  about  the  studio  for 
months  to  get  his  master's  pictures  finished,  but 
the  master  answered  the  prince's  threats  with 
promises  only.  ^ 

In  1522  the  great  altar-piece  which  the  Papal 
Legate  had  ordered  for  Brescia  was  finished,  and 
placed  in  the  Church  of  Sts.  Nazarus  and  Celsus, 


WORKS  FOR    THE  STATE. 


45 


where  it  now  remains.  It  is  in  several  panels, 
showing  Christ  rising  in  the  clouds,  with  aston- 
ished sentinels  around  the  empty  marble  tomb, 
while  the  right  panel  contains  St.  Roch  and  the 
wounded  St,  Sebastian,  and  the  left  panel  has 
Sts.  Nazarus  and  Celsus,  the  latter  of  whom  is 
pointing  the  Legate  Averoldo  toward  the  Redeem- 
er. The  St.  Sebastian  was  frequently  repeated 
by  the  master,  and  has  been  copied  many  times 
by  other  artists. 

During  the  summer  the  Council  of  Ten  discov- 
ered that  no  work  had  been  done  in  the  Hall  of 
the  Great  Council  for  several  years,  and  ordered 
Tuian  to  begin  his  duty  immediately,  or  forfeit 
his  lucrative  brokership.  Such  a  threat  could  not 
be  lightly  disregarded ;  and  the  delinquent  for  a 
few  weeks  busied  himself  with  the  great  paintings 
in  the  hall,  —  either  "  The  Battle  of  Cadore,"  or 
"  The  Humiliation  of  the  Emperor  Barbarossa  by 
Pope  Alexander  IH."  Into  the  latter  were  intro- 
duced portraits  of  Bembo,  Navagero,  Sanna::aro, 
Ariosto,  and  many  other  contemjDorary  scholars 
and  nobles.  Still  he  found  time  to  execute  one  of 
his  finest  portraits  (now  at  Castle  Howard)  repre- 
lenting  Giorgio  Cornaro,  the  brother  of  the  famous 


46  TITIAN. 

Queen  of  Cyprus.  It  shows  a  noble  head,  with 
clear-cut  features  and  chestnut  hair,  and  a  rich 
and  highly  finished  costume.  In  the  same  yeai 
he  painted  the  official  portrait  of  Jacopo  Soranzo, 
a  wealthy  patrician  who  had  relieved  the  needy 
State  by  paying  fourteen  thousand  ducats  for  the 
office  of  Procurator.  This  picture  is  now  in  the 
Venetian  Academy,  and  shows  a  meagre  yet  noble 
face,  with  piercing  eyes  and  a  white  beard.  The 
Council  of  Ten  also  granted  permission  for  Titian 
to  paint  a  picture  for  the  French  King,  which  was 
ordered  and  paid  for  by  the  envoy  Lautrec.  The 
fame  of  the  master  had  already  spread  into  North- 
ern Europe,  and  reached  the  ears  of  kings. 

The  Marquis  Federigo  Gonzaga  was  the  nephew 
of  Alfonso  d'Este,  and  the  ruler  of  the  territory 
of  Mantua.  This  little  principality  had  been 
kept  by  skilful  diplomatic  intrigues  from  the 
breaking  storm  of  the  League  of  Cambrai ;  and 
the  young  Federigo  succeeded  to  an  unimpaired 
and  prosperous  heritage,  and  to  a  generous  love 
for  the  fine  arts.  Probably  he  had  known  Titian 
some  years  earlier  ;  but  it  was  not  until  1523  that 
his  agent  Malatesta  sent  the  painter  to  Mantua, 
uith  the  following  letter:*  "The  bearer  of  ihese 


VISIT  TO  FERRARA.  47 

presents  is  Maestro  Tiziano,  most  excellent  in 
art,  but  modest  and  gentle  withal.  He  leaves 
many  works  of  importance  in  suspense  to  go  and 
kiss  the  hand  of  your  Excellency,  who  deigned 
to  ask  me  to  seek  him  out."  Gonzaga  was  much 
pleased  with  his  visitor,  and  set  him  to  work  on 
a  portrait.  But  Titian  was  unable  to  remain 
more  than  a  week,  for  he  had  already  sent  his 
baggage  and  servants,  with  his  new  picture,  up 
the  Po  to  Ferrara ;  and  now  he  hastened  down  the 
valley  to  rejoin  them.  He  bore  a  kind  letter 
from  the  young  Marquis  to  his  uncle  Alfonso, 
begging  that  he  would  allow  the  artist  to  return 
to  Mantua  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  picture  which  he  had  begun  three  years 
before,  and  now  brought  to  Ferrara  to  finish,  was 
the  "  Bacchus  and  Ariadne,"  illustrating  the 
classic  poem  of  Catullus,  of  which  Titian  pos- 
sessed a  copy  inscribed,  Liber  mihi  Titiani  et 
amicorum  ccBterorumque.  It  shows  the  beautiful 
and  half-draped  Ariadne  in  Naxos,  near  the  blue 
yEgean,  fleeing  from  Bacchus,  whose  leopard- 
drawn  chariot  halts  while  he  leaps  out  towards 
her.  A  boisterous  troop  of  msenads  and  nympns, 
satyrs  and  fauns,  issues  from  the  adjacent  grove. 


48  TITIAN. 

filled  with  antique  vigor  and  classic  beauty,  and 
impelled-  in  headlong  progress.  When  Ferrara 
reverted  to  the  Church,  this  picture  was  carried 
to  Rome,  and  remained  there  until  1806,  when  it 
passed  to  England,  and  is  now  in  the  Naiional 
Gallery.  It  has  been  frequently  copied  by 
Poussin,  Varotari,  and  other  eminent  artists. 

The  picture  of  a  girl  at  her  toilet  attended  by 
a  man  holding  a  mirror,  now  at  the  Louvre,  is 
said  to  represent  Alfonso  and  Laura  Dianti, 
though  popular  traditions  claim  that  it  is  Titian 
and  his  mistress.  The  finely-shaped  and  simply- 
:lad  lady  has  ruddy  golden  hair,  coal-black  eyes, 
and  clear-cut  lips  of  a  rich  cherry  redness. 

The  Venetian  taste,  studious  of  the  antique, 
and  delighting  in  Latin  poetry,  inclined  to  the 
contemplation  of  nude  forms  in  pictures ;  and 
Titian  was  not  slow  to  gratify  this  tendency.  He 
painted  the  "  Sleeping  Venus,"  now  at  Darmstadt, 
which  represents  a  graceful  nude  woman  on  rose- 
strewn  red  cushions,  with  one  arm  under  her 
head.  This  work  was  very  popular,  and  had 
many  copies  and  replicas,  several  of  which  aie 
now  in  England.  The  "  Venus  with  the  Shell  " 
shows  the  queen  of  beauty  rising  new-born  from 


"  THE  ENTOMBMENT."  49 

the  sea,  which  ripples  to  her  knees,  and  wringing 
her  long  hair,  while  she  looks  out  with  a  piercing 
glance  which  is  more  conscious  than  innocent. 
This  picture  passed  from  Queen  Christine's  col- 
lection through  the  Orleans  Gallery  to  the  Bridge- 
water  Gallery  in  London.  The  Darmstadt  Venus 
shows  the  features  of  Violante,  but  the  Bridge- 
water  Venus  introduces  a  new  face,  henceforth 
common  in  Titian's  works. 

In  July,  1523,  Titian  was  reported  as  doing  his 
stipulated  task  in  the  Council  Hall  ;  and  the 
authorities  were  doubtless  pleased  at  even  such 
perfunctory  work,  since  its  results  were  so  rich. 
In  August  he  received  gifts  from  the  Marquis  of 
Mantua,  and  forwarded  the  portrait  on  which  he 
had  been  engaged,  to  which  the  prince  sent  the 
curt  reply  :  "  We  have  received  the  picture  sent 
by  Maestro  Tutiano,  which  pleased  us  very  much." 
About  the  same  time,  the  master  painted  the 
portrait  of  the  Procurator  Antonio  Capello,  which 
x3  now  m  the  Venetian  Academy,  sadly  repainted, 
patched,  and  cleaned.  In  the  autumn  he  exe- 
cuted "The  Entombment  of  Christ,"  showing 
Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea  bearing  the 
divine   body  to  the  tomb,  with  St.  John's  face 


so  Tll'IAN. 

blanched  with  horror,  and  the  Maries  filled  with 
wild  anguish.  This  great  work  is  famous  for 
rich  color,  weird  lights  and  glooms,  and  intense 
focal  effect,  and  is  the  last  which  recalls  the 
styles  of  Palma  and  Giorgione.  While  in  the 
gallery  of  Charles  I.,  of  England,  it  was  instru- 
mental in  forming  the  style  of  Van  Dyck. 

Later  in  the  year,  he  painted  the  glorious  Ma- 
donna now  at  the  Vatican,  surrounded  by  garland- 
bearing  angels,  with  six  grieving  saints  on  the 
earth  below.  The  remarkable  execution  and 
classic  symmetry  of  this  work  were  commended 
by  Pordenone,  Vasari,  and  Dolce,  and  in  later 
days  by  Goethe  and  Mendelssohn. 


THE  DOGE   GRITTI.  $1 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  DogeGritti.  —  Titian's  Private  Life.  —  ThePesa'""  Madonna. 
—  Aretino.  —  Affairs  in  Cadore.  —  Sebastiano.  —  Visits  to  Fer- 
rara  and  Mantua. 

Early  in  1523  Andrea  Gritti  became  Doge-,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight.  In  1503,  while  a  prisoner 
at  Constantinople,  he  negotiated  the  peace  be- 
tween Venice  and  the  Sultan  Bajazet  II.  ;  and 
while  a  captive  of  the  French,  after  Gaston  de 
Foix  destroyed  Brescia,  he  conducted  the  Treaty 
of  Blois,  and  joined  Francis  I.  against  Charles 
V.  He  loved  the  French  right  well ;  and  when 
he  heard  in  September,  1523,  that  the  army  of 
France  had  occupied  San  Cristofano,  menacing 
Milan,  he  caused  Titian  to  execute  the  fresco 
which  still  remains  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway  to 
the  Doges'  apartments,  showing  a  grand  figure  of 
St.  Christopher  wading  through  the  Lagune  near 
Venice,  and  bearing  the  infant  Christ  on  his 
shoulder.  The  Galilean  sympathies  of  the  Doge 
were  vigorously  illustrated  in  this  metaphor,  which. 


$2  TITIAA\ 

also  exposes  Titian's  unfamiliarity  with  fresco- 
painting.  Of  the  several  celebrated  portraits 
which  the  master  painted  for  the  Doge,  those  at 
London,  Florence,  and  Padua  alone  remain. 
The  latter  portrays  a  stately  prince  arrayed  in  a 
white  silk  mantle  and  cap,  with  a  broad  forehead, 
an  aquiline  nose,  and  white  beard  and  whiskers. 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1524  were  devoted 
to  the  long-lost  frescos  of  the  Madonna  and 
saints  and  the  evangelists,  in  the  Doge's  chapel. 
Gritti  rewarded  his  artist  by  giving  valuable  ap- 
pointments to  his  kinsmen,  including  the  chan- 
cellorship of  Feltre  to  his  brother-in-law  Matteo 
Soldano,  and  the  inspectorship  of  mines  to  his 
father,  Gregorio  Vecelli. 

The  master  at  this  time  was  ill  with  a  fever, 
with  intermittent  attacks,  and  refused  to  imperil 
his  life  by  visiting  the  Ferrarese  countr}',  in  the 
malarious  marshes  of  the  Po.  Later  in  the 
autumn  he  ascended  by  barge  to  Ferrara,  and 
began  several  pictures,  at  the  urgent  solicitation 
of  the  Duke,  Somewhat  later  he  painted  "  The 
Annunciation,"  which  is  now  at  the  Scuola  di 
San  Rocco,  in  Venice,  and  is  notable  for  rich 
coloring  and  broad  composition.     It  shows  the 


TITIAN'S  HOME-LIFE.  53 

prayerful  and  serene  Virgin,  kneeling  at  her  desk, 
and  the  angel  entering  on  a  cloud. 

But  little  is  known  of  Titian's  home-life,  save 
that  he  had  a  wife  named  Cecilia,  who  bore  him 
three  or  four  children  between  1525  and  1530. 
His  son  Pomponio  was  born  in  1525,  and  in 
after  years  became  an  unmitigated  scapegrace 
and  profligate.  The  Madonnas  painted  during 
these  years  of  family  life  show  that  the  master 
was  familiar  with  the  charming  passages  of  ma- 
ternal tenderness  and  infantile  affection.  It  is 
evident  that  his  married  life  was  of  that  unevent- 
ful character  which  indicates  tranquil  peace  at 
home. 

Titian  was  always  a  gentleman,  with  polished 
manners  and  a  charming  address.  His  personal 
and  social  influence  was  therefore  large ;  and  his 
circle  of  friends  included  many  of  the  foremost 
men  of  the  century,  in  all  departments  of  public 
life.  There  is  absolutely  no  proof  that  tie  ever 
lived  the  remarkable  life  of  dissipation  which  is 
indicated  by  the  numerous  pictures  known  in 
later  days  as  Titian's  mistresses.  Gilbert  argues 
that  his  possession  of  unimpaired  strength  and 
unfailing  industry  to  so  great  an  age  as  ninety- 


54  TITIAN. 

nine  years  was  a  proof  of  the  moderation  of  his 
life.  Even  the  profligate  Aretino,  in  his  numer- 
ous letters  to  the  master,  is  careful  to  avoid  the 
ribaldry  with  which  much  of  his  correspondence 
overflows. 

In  the  spring  of  1526  Titian  finished  the  grand 
*'  Madonna  di  Casa  Pesaro,"  showing  the  same 
martial  prelate  whom  he  had  painted  twenty-three 
years  before  when  praying  for  victory  over  the 
Turks,  now  adoring  the  Virgin  for  his  success. 
A  comparison  of  these  two  jDictures  shows  the 
immense  gains  of  their  author  in  dignity,  har- 
mony, and  unity  of  conception.  The  Virgin  is 
seen  enthroned  in  a  magnificent  temple,  attended 
by  Sts.  Peter,  Anthony,  and  Francis,  and  a  knight 
bearing  the  laurel-decked  standard  of  the  Church ; 
while  the  members  of  the  Pesaro  family  kneel 
below,  arrayed  in  rich  brocades,  and  bearing  por- 
trait faces.  This  grandiose  work  is  still  kept  in 
the  Frari  Church  at  Venice,  where  it  had  a  pro- 
found influence  on  Paul  Veronese  and  the  artist.s 
of  the  sixteenth  century. 

The  terrible  sack  of  Rome  by  the  Imperial 
army  took  place  in  1527;  and  among  the  artists 
who  fled  from  the  ruined  city  were   Sansovino 


PJETRO  ARETINO.  55 

and  Sebastiano  del  Piombo,  who  took  refuge  at 
Venice.  Aretino  commended  them  to  the  Mar- 
quis of  Mantua,  striking  bitterly  at  the  prevalent 
taste  of  the  Italian  noblesse  with  his  statement 
that  Sebastiano  could  produce  pictures  "  that 
should  not  represent  any  thing  holy."  This  un- 
sanctified  artist  soon  returned  to  Rome ;  but 
Sansovino  remained  in  Venice  as  the  architect 
of  St.  Mark's,  and  gained  a  close  intimacy  with 
Titian  and  Aretino,  which  continued  for  nearly 
thirty  years. 

After  Raphael's  death,  his  school  was  disgraced 
by  Giulio  Romano,  who  designed  a  series  of 
obscene  pictures,  which  Marc  Antonio  engraved, 
and  Aretino  furnished  with  descriptive  verses. 
The  indignant  Pope  imprisoned  Marc  Antonio  ; 
but  Romano  escaped  to  Mantua;  and  the  fugi- 
tive Aretino  became  secretary  to  the  free-lance 
Giovanni  de'  Medici,  after  whose  death  he  entered 
the  Doge's  service,  and  also  became  the  secret 
agent  of  the  Gonzagas.  Within  three  months  he 
had  won  the  lasting  friendship  of  Titian,  and 
became  his  closest  friend,  teaching  him  many 
artifices  of  diplomacy  and  statecraft.  This  re- 
markable   man   was    born    out    of    wedlock,  a1 


56  TITIAN. 

Arezzo,  and  never  went  to  school.  He  wa3 
taken  up  by  Agostino  Chigi,  the  wealthy  Roman 
banker,  at  whose  house  he  met  Romano,  Sanso- 
vino,  Sebastiano,  and  other  eminent  men,  and 
soon  became  a  satirical  poet  and  pamphleteer, 
steeped  in  all  vices,  treacherous  and  intriguing, 
wielding  a  venal  and  libellous  pen  which  dripped 
with  poison,  and  selling  his  services  to  whomso- 
ever would  bid  highest  among  the  princes  of 
anarchical  Italy.  He  boasted  of  living  "  by  the 
sweat  of  his  pen  j  "  and  having  discovered  cer- 
tain of  the  secret  springs  of  contemporary  poli- 
tics, and  many  hidden  family  histories,  he  laid 
nobles  and  sovereigns  alike  under  tribute,  so  that 
he  was  called  "  the  Scourge  of  Princes." 

In  June,  1527,  Titian  sent  portraits  of  Aretino 
and  the  Envoy  Adorno  to  the  Marquis  of  Mantua, 
who  returned  a  friendly  answer,  saying,  "  I  thank 
you,  and  shall  hold  these  pictures  dear  for  your 
sake.  .  .  .  When  I  can  I  shall  ever  be  ready  to 
do  you  a  pleasure,  and  always  be  disposed  and 
inclined  to  consult  your  wishes." 

Now  for  many  years  Francesco  Vecelli  had 
been  in  his  noble  brother's  studio^  and  had  exe- 
cuted several  famous  pictures  for  rural  churches, 


ROUTE    TO   C A  DO  RE.  57 

besides  a  "  Resurrection  "  for  the  Doges'  Palace. 
Kidolfi  pretends  that  Titian  became  jealous  of 
his  increasing  power,  and  persuaded  him  to  aban- 
don the  study  of  art ;  but  this  statement  has  no 
foundation.  When  his  father  died,  in  11:27, 
Francesco  left  the  Venetian  studio,  and  occupied 
the  old  cottage  at  Cadore  ;  carrying  on  a  desul- 
tory commerce  in  corn  and  timber,  and  eking  out 
his  income  by  painting  a  few  pictures.  To  his 
home  Titian  often  came  to  escape  the  baleful 
heats  of  the  lowland  summers,  and  to  rest  and 
grow  strong  in  the  arms  of  the  great  mountains. 
Let  us  follow  his  annual  route,  as  sketched  in 
detail  in  Gilbert's  fascinating  "  Titian's  Country:" 
Crossing  the  Lagune  by  gondola  to  Mestre,  he 
rode  across  the  gre?t  Venetian  plain  to  Treviso, 
rich  in  the  works  of  Giorgione  and  Pordenone, 
where  he  had  a  pleasant  house.  Twenty  miles 
beyond  he  passed  Conegliano,  and  advanced 
over  the  white  road  into  the  Ceneda  Hills,  among 
which  he  had  a  pretty  villa,  near  the  later  home 
of  his  beloved  daughter  Lavinia.  He  nevei 
passed  Ceneda  without  pausing  to  study  and 
admire  the  beautiful  *'  Annunciation "  in  the 
Nunziata  Church,  which  his   old   fellow-student, 


58  TITIAN 

Previtali,  painted  before  his  brief  life  was  ended. 
By  the  grim  towers  of  Serravalle,  he  entered  the 
Alpine  pass,  and  ascended  by  the  gloomy  Lake 
Morto,  and  the  mountain-walled  Lake  of  Santa 
Croce,  below  the  Government  timber-reservation 
of  the  Consiglio  Forest,  in  which  he  is  said  to 
have  made  prolonged  studies  of  trees  and  wood- 
land scenery.  The  Val  di  Mel  soon  opened  on 
the  west,  with  its  soft  rural  beauty  and  richness, 
whose  fascinating  landscapes  influenced  his  art- 
scenery  more  than  any  other  region.  He  executed 
several  fine  pictures  here,  in  the  sister-cities  of 
Bclluno  and  Feltre,  and  in  Mel  and  Zoppb. 
Among  the  oak-forests  near  Casteldardo  he  was 
wont  to  amuse  himself  in  hunting  birds;  and 
some  of  his  best  landscape  studies  were  made 
about  the  sequestered  mill  of  Colontola,  three 
miles  from  Belluno.  Here  he  sketched  many  of 
the  quaint  and  angular  dolomite  peaks,  resem- 
bling sword-blades  or  sharp-hewn  timber-slabs, 
which  appear  in  the  backgrounds  of  some  of  his 
great  pictures.  The  Cadore  road  passed  near 
the  west  end  of  the  vale,  and  ascended  the 
savage  defile  of  the  Piave  towards  the  ponderous 
Marmarolo,  which  is  called  "  Titian's  Mountain.' 


ALPINE  JOURNEYS.  59 

Beyond  the  dark  glens  of  Longarone,  the  trav- 
eller at  last  entered  the  Vale  of  Cadore,  and  ap- 
proached the  quiet  hamlet  and  frowning  castle  of 
Pieve,  in  "  the  territory  always  very  faithful  to 
the  most  serene  Republic  of  Venice." 

On  one  of  his  journeys  toward  Cadore,  the 
master  sketched  a  fine  picture  of  a  summer 
squall  j  showing  a  dark  wind-driven  cloud  sweep- 
ing across  the  landscape,  which  is  flecked  with 
light  and  shade.  Other  visits  to  the  Vale  were 
made,  to  prepare  sketches  for  the  picture  of 
the  Battle  of  Cadore.  In  1527  he  ascended  to  the 
remote  Alpine  hamlet  of  Zoppb,  and  painted  the 
altar-piece  which  is  still  preserved  there,  though 
great  offers  have  been  made  for  it.  At  another 
time  he  was  long  delayed  by  a  winter-storm  at 
the  adjacent  village  of  Santa  Lucia,  in  the  Val 
Fiorentina,  and  rewarded  the  hospitality  of  the 
curate  by  painting  for  him  a  fresco,  representing 
Death  surrounded  by  symbols  of  earthly  vanity. 

Titian  still  continued  his  intimacy  with  the 
Duke  of  Ferrara,  to  whom  he  made  frequent 
visits,  ascending  the  Po  by  barge.  In  January, 
1528,  he  painted  three  pictures  at  Ferrara,  and 
complained  that  he  only  received  one  hundred 


6o  TITIAN. 

ducats   for   them,   when    they   were   worth    that 
amount  each. 

Early  in  1528,  the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Petei 
Martyr  desired  to  obtain  a  new  altar-piece,  rep- 
resenting the  death  of  their  patron  saint ;  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  they  regarded  any  Venetian 
artist  as  paramount,  for  they  invited  the  prepa- 
ration of  competitive  designs.  Palma  Vecchio, 
once  Titian's  friend  and  guide,  but  now  his  oppo- 
nent, was  one  of  the  unsuccessful  aspirants  ;  and 
Pordenone  suffered  the  same  fate,  and  hencefor- 
ward cherished  a  malignant  hatred  towards  his 
former  leader,  who  was  victorious  in  the  competi- 
tion. Titian  won  the  award,  and  was  engaged 
for  two  years  on  the  picture.  He  was  at  this 
time  strongly  influenced  by  the  traditions  of  Flor- 
entine art,  which  Michael  Angelo  had  moulded 
into  Sebastiano's  stjde.  Sebastiano  del  Piombo, 
who  had  dared  to  compete  in  coloring  with  Ra- 
phael himself,  remained  at  Venice  throughout 
the  year  1528,  and  was  probably  in  close  com- 
munion with  Titian,  who  had  been  his  fellow- 
pupil  in  earlier  years,  in  Bellini's  studio.  Sebas- 
tiano returned  to  Rome  in  March,  1529,  but  was 
soon   succeeded   by   Michael    Angelo,   who   fled 


"ST.   PETER  MARTYR."  61 

from  Florence  to  Venice  in  the  autumn.  On  his 
way  he  stopped  at  Ferrara,  and  expressed  to  the 
Duke  his  admiration  of  Titian's  pictures  in  the 
palace  of  that  city.  The  influence  of  the  great 
Tuscan  is  seen  in  the  important  picture  then  on 
our  artist's  easel.  Vargas,  the  imperial  envoy, 
once  found  him  painting  with  a  brush  "  as  big  as 
a  birch-broom,"  and  was  told  that  he  was  deter- 
mined to  work  in  a  manner  different  from  that 
of  Raphael  or  Angel o,  and  avoid  the  ignominy 
of  mere  imitation. 

Titian  remained  at  Ferrara  during  the  first  half 
of  1529,  and  was  attended  by  a  retinue  of  five 
persons.  In  March  he  spent  a  fortnight  at  Man- 
tua, to  whose  prince  he  bore  a  flattering  letter 
from  Duke  Alfonso,  speaking  of  his  valuable  ser- 
vices, and  desiring  that  he  should  be  allowed  to 
return  as  soon  as  possible. 

"The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Peter  Martyr"  was 
completed  late  in  1529.  It  was  one  of  the  high- 
est efforts  of  the  artist,  and  showed  the  saint 
prostrate  beneath  his  assassin,  with  his  compan- 
ion flying  in  terror,  while  overhead  swayed  the 
branches  of  an  Alpine  forest  of  gloomy  and  ma- 
jestic trees.     The  figures  were  grand,  mobile,  and 


62  TITIAN. 

natural,  Angelesque  without  strained  convention- 
alism, and  the  composition  was  broad  and  impos- 
ing. Cellini,  Rubens,  the  Caracci,  Reynolds, 
and  the  chief  artists  of  succeeding  generations, 
made  it  an  object  of  close  study  and  profound 
admiration ;  and  the  government  enacted  that 
any  one  who  should  dare  to  remove  it  should  be 
put  to  death.  In  1867  art  suffered  an  irreparable 
loss  by  the  burning  of  this  picture,  together  with 
the  chapel  in  which  it  was  kept. 

In  the  winter  of  1529-30  great  festivities  oc- 
curred at  Bologna,  when  Pope  Clement  crowned 
the  illustrious  Emperor  Charles  V.,  and  secured 
for  Italy  peace  at  the  price  of  liberty.  Titian's 
patron,  the  Marquis  of  Mantua,  was  with  Charles 
throughout  this  joyous  time  ;  and  Vasari  says  that 
his  secret  agent,  Aretino,  secured  the  invitation  of 
the  artist  to  Bologna,  where  he  executed  a  splen- 
did portrait  of  the  Emperor,  and  received  a  thou- 
sand scudi  as  a  guerdon. 

During  the  spring  Titian  sent  to  Mantua  a 
portrait  of  the  Marquis,  which  was  placed  beside 
Raphael's  earlier  portrait  of  the  same  prince. 
With  this  was  sent  the  "  Madonna  del  Coniglio," 
a  refined  and  elevated  work,  which  is  now  at  the 


JOURNEY  TO  BOLOGNA.  63 

Louvre.  It  shows  a  charming  group,  composed  of 
the  Virgin  seated  on  the  grass,  with  her  hand  on 
a  white  rabbit,  while  the  superbly  dressed  St. 
Catherine  stoops  down,  with  Jesus  in  her  arms,  to 
allow  Him  to  see  the  rabbit.  The  background  is 
a  rich  and  picturesque  North-Italian  landscape. 
The  Marquis  showed  his  gratification  by  confer- 
ring a  benefice  on  Titian's  son  Pomponio,  who 
was  then  five  years  old.  The  noble  patron  was 
himself  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  duke,  by  Charles 
v.,  during  the  same  year. 

During  the  summer  Titian  was  sent  to  Bologna 
to  paint  the  portrait  of  La  Cornelia,  with  whom 
the  imperial  secretary  had  become  enamoured 
while  attending  his  master's  frequent  visits  to  the 
Pepoli  Palace,  during  the  recent  festivities  of 
the  coronation.  With  the  view  of  conciliating 
the  powerful  Covos,  and  thus  winning  political 
power,  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  determined  to  pre- 
sent him  with  a  portrait  and  a  bust  of  his  in- 
namorata,  and  accredited  Titian  to  the  Countess 
Pepoli  as  a  gentleman  and  a  rare  and  excellent 
painter.  But  the  project  failed  utterly;  for  the 
sculptor  angrily  withdrew  when  he  found  another 
•artist  also  commissioned  to  portray  his  subject; 


64  TITIAN. 

and  the  fair  Cornelia  herself  fell  sick,  and  was 
removed  to  Nuvolara.  The  summer-heats  of 
the  inland  city  soon  prostrated  the  artist  also, 
and  he  returned  to  Venice  in  a  bad  condition. 

Titian  seemed  to  love  his  Alpine  cottage  and 
his  sea-girt  studio  with  an  equal  affection,  and  to 
feel  restless  and  uncomfortable  when  duty  called 
him  to  the  inland  cities  of  the  plains.  In  several 
instances  his  enforced  visits  to  the  interior  had 
been  terminated  by  illness,  which  compelled  him 
to  return  to  the  coast  in  great  haste ;  yet  there  is 
no  record  of  his  voyaging  on  the  sea,  and  he 
promptly  declined  the  Emperor's  invitation  to 
cross  the  Mediterranean  to  Africa.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  he  once  visited  Spain,  but  it  is  not 
supported  by  authentic  proofs,  and  has  been 
Ignored  by  his  later  biographers. 


DEATH  OF  TITIAN'S   WIFE.  65 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Death  of  Titian's  Wife.  —  Removal  to  Casa  Grande.  —  Pupik.  — 
Magdalens  and  Minor  Works.  —  Visit  to  Charles  V.,  who 
ennobles  Titian. —  La  Bella. 

In  August,  1530,  Titian  was  thrown  into 
mourning  by  the  death  of  his  wife  Cecilia,  an 
event  which  was  the  greatest  sorrow  of  his  Hfe. 
He  had  been  unable  to  attend  to  his  work  during 
her  illness,  and  grieved  deeply  and  sincerely. 
He  was  comforted  as  far  as  possible  by  his 
friends  and  associates,  but  long  remained  discon- 
solate and  plunged  in  deep  melancholy.  At  last 
he  took  the  motherless  children,  and  hastened  to 
the  Vale  of  Cadore,  to  seek  peace  among  the 
ennobling  Alps ;  and  here  he  dwelt  for  several 
months  in  the  house  of  his  brother  Francesco. 
To  this  period  of  seclusion  are  referred  the 
comparatively  inferior  pictures  in  the  churches 
of  Candide,  Vigo,  and  Vinigo. 

On  returning  to  Venice,  he  brought  his  sister 
Orsa  from  Cadore  to  take  care  of  the  three  young 


66  TITIAN. 

children,  —  the  new-born  Lavinia ;  Orazio,  who 
was  to  be  educated  as  a  painter ;  and  Pomponio, 
who  had  been  destined  for  the  Church,  and  had 
received  the  sinecure-benefice  of  Medole  from 
Gonzaga.  It  would  perhaps  have  been  better 
if  Titian  had  labored  as  strenuously  to  teach 
the  boy  his  own  honorable  calling. 

At  this  time  Titian  abandoned  his  old  studio 
on  the  Grand  Canal,  and  occupied  a  new  house 
in  the  rural  north-eastern  part  of  the  city,  a  region 
of  pure  air  and  of  wide  lawns,  marshes,  and  gar- 
dens. It  was  a  tenement  in  the  Casa  Grande, 
which  had  been  erected  in  1527,  and  was  occu- 
pied by  several  families.  The  gardens  were  laid 
out  along  the  Lagune,  over  whose  long  levels  the 
island  of  Murano  was  seen,  with  the  Ceneda 
hills  beyond,  and  far  away  in  the  north  the 
stately  peak  of  Antelao,  rising  over  the  Vale  of 
Cadore.  Here,  away  from  the  noise  of  the  city, 
and  in  view  of  his  native  Alps,  the  great  master 
found  a  sweet  and  congenial  home.  The  Casa 
Grande  is  still  standing,  in  a  remote  quarter  of 
Venice,  but  has  been  whitewashed  and  modern- 
ized, and  shut  out  from  the  view  of  the  Lagune 
by   recent    buildings.      It    was    formerly    much 


TITIAN'S  PUPILS.  67 

visited  by  art-pilgrims,  but  was  greatly  remod- 
elled in  1863,  when  the  famous  old  tree  in  its  gar- 
den, which  dated  from  Titian's  time,  was  cut  down. 

Among  the  students  who  labored  here  under 
Titian's  direction  were  Bordone,  Palma  Giovine, 
Bonifazio,  Moretto,  the  elder  Bassano,  the  three 
brothers  Schw^rz  from  Germany,  and  the  Flem- 
ing Calcar.  The  engravers  Cornelius  Cort  and 
Domenico  delle  Greche  were  added  to  this  com- 
pany, and  dwelt  in  the  house.  With  shrewd  busi- 
ness  ability,  and  somewhat  of  unscrupulousness, 
the  master  winked  at  the  practice  of  his  pupils 
copying  his  pictures,  and  afterwards  retouched 
their  feeble  imitations,  and  sold  them  as  his  own. 

During  the  autumn  Titian  sent  to  the  Duke  of 
Mantua  the  finished  portrait  of  La  Cornelia  and 
a  copy  of  the  "  St.  Sebastian  "  of  the  Brescia 
altar-piece  ;  and  during  the  next  spring  he  for- 
warded him  a  picture  of  St.  Jerome,  representing 
a  rugged  old  man  kneeling  before  a  rude  crucifix 
in  a  wild  mountain-land.  This  work  was  broadly 
treated  and  richly  colored,  and  was  frequently 
copied,  the  subject  being  then  fashionable.  The 
Duke  requested  that  Titian  should  paint  him  a 
Magdalen,  "  as  beautiful  but  as  tearful  as  possi 


68  TITIAN. 

ble,"  for  a  present  to  the  Marquis  of  Guasto,  a 
high  official  of  the  imperial  court.  This  work 
was  carefully  executed  and  sent  to  Mantua 
within  six  w-eeks,  and  was  duplicated  for  the 
Gonzagas.  The  Magdalen  was  a  favorite  sub- 
ject with  the  master,  and  he  boasted  that  he  had 
made  over  two  thousand  scudi  from  it,  and  found 
difficulty  in  supplying  the  rapid  demand,  even 
with  the  aid  of  his  pupils  and  assistants.  The 
general  type  is  that  of  a  nude  young  woman, 
with  finely  rounded  limbs  and  well-modelled  fig- 
ure, handsome  face,  and  streaming  golden  hair, 
and  the  white  splendor  of  the  entire  form  thrown 
into  bold  relief  by  a  dark  and  lonely  background. 
The  Magdalen  is  distinguishable  from  Venus  only 
by  her  upturned  face  and  tearful  eyes,  and  other- 
wise is  equally  alluring  and  more  orthodox. 

In  answer  to  Titian's  complaints,  the  Duke  of 
Mantua  sent  him  the  papers  of  Pomponio's  bene- 
tice ;  and  the  master,  still  under  Aretino's  servile 
influence,  returned  a  letter  full  of  adulation  and 
humility.  He  declined  an  invitation  to  visit  the 
Marquis  of  Guasto  at  Correggio,  and  hastened 
to  finish  the  votive  picture  of  the  Doge  Gritti, 
showing  St.  Mark  bringing  Gritti  and  three  saints 


CORREGGIO.  69 

to  the  Virgin.  This  picture  was  lost  in  the  con- 
flagration of  1577.  Aretino  ordered  a  picture  o{ 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  which  he  sent  to  Stampa, 
the  imperialist  commander  at  Milan,  and  the 
favorite  of  Sforza,  the  Duke  of  Milan,  whose 
confidence  Aretino  wished  to  gain.  He  repaid 
his  friend's  labors  by  securing  him  new  orders, 
and  by  judicious  advertising  in  his  writings, 
where  he  praised  him  as  "  the  only  rival  of 
Nature." 

About  this  time  Francesco  Vecelli  made  his 
usual  winter  visit  to  Venice,  and  dwelt  with 
Titian  while  engaged  on  the  great  frescos  of  San 
Salvador.  He  still  continued  to  paint  pictures 
for  the  churches  of  Friuli,  and  always  welcomed 
Titian  gladly  during  the  months  when  sunshine 
dwelt  among  the  Alps. 

Resta  and  Ticozzi  state  that  Titian  visited 
Correggio  at  Parma  about  this  time  ;  but  other- 
wise it  is  uncertain  whether  he  ever  met  that 
grand  artist,  whose  silvery  radiance  he  seems  to 
have  borrowed.  Correggio  and  Titian  were  mar- 
ried in  the  same  year,  and  gave  the  same  singu- 
lar name  to  their  eldest  sons.  Titian  and  Are- 
tino were  both  acquainted  with  Lotto,  Correggio'a 


70  TITIAN. 

disciple,  and  his  patron,  the  wealthy  Andrea 
Odoni. 

During  the  summer  of  1532  the  master  visited 
Ferrara,  and  sketched  the  profile  of  Ariosto  for 
an  engraving  in  the  "  Orlando  Furioso."  He 
painted  for  the  Gonzagas  a  gazelle  which  had 
been  imported  into  Venice  from  Eg}^pt,  and 
engaged  for  them  a  scene-decorator,  who  bore 
the  singular  name  of  "  the  peaceful  painter." 

We  now  come  to  one  of  the  most  brilliant  epi- 
sodes in  Titian's  life.  In  the  autumn  of  1532, 
after  the  Turks  had  been  repulsed,  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.  rode  into  Italy  to  receive  the  homage 
of  her  princes,  and  check  the  hostile  Galilean 
intrigues.  His  retinue  was  less  splendid  than 
the  French  embassies,  but  its  members  were  men 
of  high  cultivation  and  lovers  of  art  and  litera- 
ture. The  great  Charles  himself  was  an  enthu- 
siastic collector  of  art-treasures,  and  visited  all 
the  masterpieces  in  the  churches  and  studios. 
At  Mantua  he  admired  the  Duke's  collections  of 
armor  and  paintings,  and  especially  the  portraits 
by  Titian,  whom  he  presently  desired  to  paint  his 
own  portrait.  The  Duke  wrote  the  following 
note  :    "  Messer  Tiziano,   I  should   be  very  glad 


CHARLES   V.  71 

to  have  you  near  me,  and  beg  as  hard  as  1 
can  that  you  come  hither  as  quickly  as  you  are 
able,  which  will  do  me  a  singular  pleasure." 
This  pressing  summons  was  not  heeded  by  the 
artist,  who  hastened  to  Bologna,  and  entered  into 
direct  relations  with  the  Emperor  and  his  court. 

In  1533  Charles  V.  sat  to  Titian  for  a  portrait 
representing  him  as  bareheaded  and  clad  in 
armor,  the  first  sketch  for  which  is  now  in  Eng- 
land. Another  portrait,  now  at  Madrid,  shows 
the  Emperor  in  a  splendid  gala-dress,  but  with 
all  his  traditional  homeliness  of  pallid  skin,  red 
beard,  long  chin,  upturned  nose,  and  protruding 
lower  lip,  with  redeeming  calm  blue  eyes  arid  a 
broad  forehead.  This  work  was  finished  at 
Venice,  and  copied  for  the  Duke  of  Mantua. 
The  sculptor  Lombardi  carried  Titian's  paint- 
box at  the  sittings,  in  order  to  see  the  Emperor, 
and  furtively  maae  a  icilcf  portrait  of  him  on  a 
tablet  of  wax.  The  vigilant  sovereign  observed 
him  slipping  this  work  into  his  sleeve,  and  de- 
manded to  see  it,  upon  which  he  praised  the  exe- 
cution, and  ordered  it  to  be  reproduced  in  marble. 

In  May,  Titian  was  overwhelmed  with  dignities, 
in  a  patent  issued  by  the  Emperor,  creating  him 


T^  TITIAN. 

a  Count  Palatine  of  the  Lateran,  of  the  Aulic 
Council,  and  of  the  Consistory,  and  a  Knight  of 
the  Golden  Spur,  with  the  powers  of  appointing 
judges  and  notaries,  legitimizing  natural  chil 
dren^  entering  the  imperial  court,  and  other  high 
privileges.  His  children  were  made  nobles  of 
the  Empire,  with  the  honors  due  to  families  with 
four  generations  of  ancestors.  The  Emperor 
recited,  that  whereas  Alexander  of  Macedon 
had  appointed  Apelles  as  his  court-painter,  and 
Octavian  had  chosen  the  most  eminent  of  Roman 
artists,  so  also  he  rewarded  the  exquisite  skill 
of  the  Apelles  of  his  time  by  giving  him  the  high- 
est honors.  After  this  time  Charles  never  sat  to 
any  other  master  ;  and  for  every  portrait  that 
Titian  painted  he  received  a  thousand  scudi  in 
gold. 

Among  the  nobles  in  the  imperial  retinue  was 
the  veteran  Marquis  of  Guasto,  who  had  been 
summoned  from  the  command  of  Lombardy,  the 
year  before,  to  meet  the  advance  of  the  valiant 
and  merciless  Turks  in  the  Danubian  provinces 
of  Austria.  He  returned  victorious,  and  en- 
gaged Titian  to  portray  his  farewell  to  his  wife, 
the  lovely  Mary  of  Aragon,  whom  Cupid,  Victory 


CARDINAL  DE'  MEDICI.  73 

and  Hymen  are  endeavoring  to  console.  This 
rare  work  is  famous  for  its  sweetness  of  tone, 
rich  harmony  of  tints,  and  deep  solemnity  of 
expression.  Its  allegorical  style  was  repeated  in 
several  other  pictures  painted  by  the  master 
about  this  time,  introducing  portraits  of  his 
patrons  and  their  wives  or  mistresses,  attended 
by  symbolical  figures.  Two  of  these  are  now  in 
the  Vienna  Belvedere. 

Another  of  the  luminaries  of  the  Bologna 
conference  was  Cardinal  Ippolito  de'  Medici, 
recently  the  legate  in  command  of  the  Italian 
musketeers,  who  joined  the  Christian  princes  in 
repelling  the  Turkish  advance  on  Vienna.  He 
was  averse  to  priestly  honors,  to  which  he  was 
elevated  by  his  kinsman  Pope  Clement  VII., 
and  preferred  literary  dilettantism,  and  the  splen- 
dors of  non-belligerent  military  life.  Titian 
painted  his  portrait  in  armor,  which  has  disap- 
peared ;  and  also  the  celebrated  portrait  now  at 
the  Pitti  Palace,  showmg  him  in  the  brilliant 
ccctume  of  the  Magyar  chieftains  of  Hungary, 
with  a  smooth  bronzed  face,  crafty  eyes,  and  the 
Dlear-cut  Medici  features.  Ippolito  urged  the 
artist  to  visit  him  at  Rome,  but  the  invitation 
was  not  then  accepted 


74  TITIAN. 

The  Emperor  was  now  to  decide  whether  the 
cities  of  Modena  and  Reggio,  held  by  his  troops, 
should  be  giv'cn  to  the  Pope,  or  to  Alfonso  of 
Ferrara,  and  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  the 
desires  of  the  latter  prince  to  secure  certain  rare 
pictures  from  his  gallery.  Titian  was  chosen  to 
indicate  the  best  works  among  these  treasures 
of  art,  and  selected  four  masterpieces  from  the 
Ferrarese  gallery,  which  were  delivered  to  the 
Emperor.  Alfonso's  agents  were  pressing  the  ar- 
tist to  hurry  the  completion  of  new  pictures  then 
due  to  their  master. 

In  the  summer  of  1533  Titian  returned  from 
the  heated  inland  cities  to  his  studio  and  gardens 
in  the  breezy  northern  suburb  of  Venice,  and 
thriftily  invested  the  profits  of  his  labors  at 
Bologna  in  an  estate  near  Treviso,  which  he 
bought  from  the  Benedictine  monks.  He  was 
aided  by  the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Mantua, 
and  gave  a  picture  of  Christ  as  part  of  the  pur- 
chase price.  He  also  painted  the  altar-piece 
which  is  still  in  the  Venetian  Church  of  San  Gio- 
vanni Eleemosinario,  on  the  order  of  the  Doge, 
who  had  recently  reconstructed  the  building.  It 
represents  St.  John  the  Alms-giver,  Patriarch  of 


EMPEROR    VS.  KING.  75 

Alexandria,  richly  arrayed  and  enthroned,  giving 
a  purse  to  a  ragged  beggar  at  his  feet ;  and  com- 
bines the  rugged  grandeur  of  Michael  Angelo's 
style  with  gorgeous  coloring  and  unsurpassable 
technical  skill. 

Though  Charles  V.  and  Francis  I.  were  bit- 
terly antagonizing  each  other  with  hostile  leagues 
of  Italian  states,  Venice  and  her  children 
refused  to  adhere  to  either,  and  made  money 
out  of  both.  The  Emperor  bid  for  Aretino's 
poisoned  pen  with  a  life  pension  ;  the  French 
King  sent  him  a  golden  collar ;  Cardinal  de' 
Medici  presented  money  and  rich  gifts ;  and 
Alessandro  de'  Medici  offered  him  the  Strozzi 
Palace  at  Florence.  The  unblushing  parasite 
published  a  play  in  which  he  praised  with  equal 
voice  these  hostile  princes  and  their  gifts,  and 
lauded  also  "  the  glorious  Titian."  With  a  similar 
disregard  of  the  fitness  of  things,  Titian  painted 
three  portraits  of  Francis  I.,  the  deadly  enemy 
of  the  Emperor  who  had  filled  his  studio  with 
wealth  and  honors.  These  pictures  were  repro- 
duced from  French  medals ;  and,  of  the  two 
which  remain,  one  is  at  the  Louvre,  showing 
.he  gay  sovereign  before  his  fortieth  year,  with 


76  TITIAN. 

his  small  eyes,  pointed  nose,  broad  brow,  heax'y 
jaw,  fleshy  cheeks,  bull  neck,  and  close-cropped 
black  beard. 

The  portrait  of  Isabella  d'Este,  Duchess  of 
^lantua,  was  copied  by  Bordone,  Rubens,  and 
many  otlier  masters,  and  is  now  in  the  Vienna 
Belvedere.  The  lady  was  at  this  time  old  and 
wrinkled,  but  caused  Titian  to  copy  a  picture 
taken  when  she  was  in  the  flower  of  her  beauty, 
arrayed  in  a  superb  costume.  The  portrait  at 
the  Pitti  Palace  called  "La  Bella  di  Tiziano " 
represents  an  unknown  patrician  maiden  of  rare 
dignity  and  beauty,  with  rich  auburn  hair, 
bewitching  lips,  and  serene  eyes  which  look  out 
of  the  picture.  "  The  Mistress  of  Titian,"  in  the 
Hermitage  Palace,  is  a  picture  of  a  beautiful 
girl  scantily  clad  in  an  ermine-lined  pelisse.  A 
similar  picture  at  the  Vienna  Belvedere  is  the 
same  which  the  Duchess  of  Buckingham  ex- 
changed with  King  Charles  I.,  probably  for 
something  less  pronounced  in  suggestion. 

The  Duke  of  Urbino,  a  relative  and  frequent 
guest  of  the  Mantuan  Gonzagas,  was  now  living 
at  Venice,  virhose  armies  he  commanded.  He 
purchased  a  **  Magdalen  "  and  a  portrait  of  Fran 


TITIAN  HELPS  CADORE.  77 

cis  I.  from  Titian,  and  had  him  paint  a  "  Venus  " 
which  tradition  claims  as  a  portrait  of  the  noble 
Duke's  innamorata.  This  picture  is  in  the  Flor- 
entine Tribune,  and  shows  a  consciously  nude 
woman,  gracefully  reposing  on  a  ruby-colored 
damask  couch,  and  colored  with  the  richest 
effects  of  art. 

In  1534  the  Cadorine  Council  sent  an  embassy 
to  Venice  to  secure  the  restraint  of  Zeno,  the 
captain  of  their  castle,  from  unlawful  trading; 
and  Titian's  influence  with  the  Doge  insured 
its  success.  The  master's  constant  generosity 
toward  Cadore  was  repaid  by  the  steady  friend- 
ship of  its  people. 


78  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

At  Milan.  —  Duke  of  Urbino.  —  Bembo.  —  Aretino,  and  Titian's 
Son.  —  The  Council  punishes  Titian.  —  "  The  Battle  of  Ca- 
dore,"  and  Minor  Works.  —  Titian's  Guests. 

In  1534  Charles  V.  brought  about  a  marriage 
between  the  aged  and  decrepit  Duke  of  Milan 
and  Christina  of  Denmark,  who  was  then  twelve 
years  old ;  and  the  couple  entered  Milan  with 
pompous  ceremonies.  Titian  painted  their  por- 
traits, and  was  rewarded  by  a  canonry  for  his 
hopeful  son  Pomponio,  and  a  promise  of  a  pen- 
sion from  Naples. 

In  the  autumn  Alfonso  of  Ferrara  and  Pope 
Clement  VII.  died ;  and  Paul  III.,  a  patrician  of 
the  brilliant  Farnese  family,  became  Pope.  Fer- 
rante  Gonzaga  was  introduced  to  the  studio  by 
the  Duke  of  Mantua,  and  ordered  two  pictures. 
The  papal  nuncio  at  Vienna  invited  Titian  to 
visit  Cardinal  Gloss  at  the  episcopal  palace  of 
Trent ;  and  the  master  was  again  vainly  sum- 
moned to  Rome  by  Cardinal  de'  Medici,  whom 


TITIAN  AND   CHARLES    V.  79 

Aretino  called  "  a  prince  in  the  disguise  of  a  car- 
dinal, who  scented  more  of  the  purple  than  the 
frock."  The  triumvirate  of  friends,  Titian,  Are- 
tino, and  Sansovino,  had  now  admitted  to  their 
close  intimacy  the  architect  Serlio.  the  cameo- 
carver  Anichini,  and  the  philosopher  Spira,  and 
conducted  their  respective  works  in  frequent  dis- 
regard of  the  Doge's  wishes. 

When  Charles  V.  embarked  on  the  expedition 
in  which  he  conquered  Tunis  and  humbled  Bar- 
barossa,  he  desired  Titian  to  follow  and  portray 
•  his  battles ;  but  the  master  preferred  to  remain 
among  the  comforts  of  fair  Venetia  and  Cadore. 
His  generous  patron,  Cardinal  de'  Medici,  started 
on  the  African  campaign,  but  was  poisoned  on 
the  way  by  his  cup-bearer.  Most  of  the  studio- 
work  this  season  was  done  for  the  Duke  of  Man- 
tua, and  included  the  long-lost  picture  of  Christ. 

After  his  African  victories,  the  Emperor  passed 
in  triumph  through  Sicily,  Rome,  and  Florence,  to 
the  camp  of  his  lieutenant,  De  Leyva,  who  was 
about  to  invade  France.  The  Duke  of  Mantua 
and  Titian  crossed  Lombardy,  and  joined  the 
imperial  retinue  a'  Asti,  in  Piedmont,  where  the 
artist  became  acquainted  with  Gaztelu,  afterwards 


So  TITIAN. 

the  envoy  at  Venice,  Perez,  who  corresponded 
with  him  from  Valladohd,  and  other  Spanish 
grandees. 

The  new  Duke  of  Ferrara,  Ercole  II.,  kept  up 
friendly  relations  with  the  studio,  and  royally  rec- 
ompensed the  master  for  his  new  portrait  of  the 
late  Duke,  painted  to  replace  that  which  the 
Emperor  had  taken.  Guido  Rangone,  the  papal 
general,  and  his  agent  Comitolo,  were  now  inti- 
mate with  the  triumvirate  ;  and  Aretino  had  sold 
his  venal  services  to  France  for  a  large  annuity. 
He  warned  Alessandro  de'  Medici  to  beware  of 
"the  steel  and  poison  of  treason,"  but  in  vain, 
for  that  prince  was  murdered  during  the  next 
month. 

The  master  was  now  on  good  terms  with  the 
world,  and  extended  his  domestic  establishment 
by  leasing  the  whole  of  the  spacious  Casa  Grande. 
Here  he  painted  splendid  portraits  of  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Urbino.  The  former  was  a  dash- 
ing and  valiant  prince,  who  had  been  educated  at 
the  chivalrous  court  of  France,  and  won  his 
duchy  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  He  was  now 
generalissimo  of  the  crusade  of  Germany,  Spain, 
Rome,  and  Venice,  against  the  Turks ;  and  was 


PIETRO  BEMBO.  8 1 

depicted  in  burnished  armor,  witli  a  short  and 
wiry  figure,  gaunt  and  bronzed  cheeks,  and  keen 
black  eyes.  His  Duchess,  Eleanora,  sister  of  the 
Duke  of  Mantua,  and  ruler  of  Urbino  during  his 
warlike  expeditions,  was  portrayed  with  a  slender 
and  stately  figure,  in  rich  apparel,  delicate  fea- 
tures, and  lustrous  eyes  with  long  lashes. 

Pietro  Bembo,  the  foremost  of  Roman  literati, 
had  retired  to  Padua  in  1522,  and  made  the 
richest  collections  of  pictures  and  antiques  in 
Europe.  He  did  not  renew  his  ancient  intimacy 
with  Titian,  either  because  he  was  offended  on 
account  of  the  master's  refusal  of  his  invitation 
to  Rome,  or  because  his  warm  friendship  with 
Raphael  and  Angelo  caused  him  to  look  slight- 
ingly on  North-Italian  art.  Yet  he  remained  on 
friendly  terms  with  the  great  Venetian,  who 
painted  his  portrait  about  this  time,  showing  a 
high  forehead,  gaunt  cheeks,  an  aquiline  nose, 
and  a  long  beard. 

Early  in  1537  the  Duke  of  Mantua  sent  Titian 
rich  presents,  and  engaged  him  to  paint  portraits 
of  twelve  Roman  emperors,  which  were  copied 
from  antique  busts  in  Bembo's  museum,  and 
wedals  in  the  Mantuan  collections.     This  series 


82  TITIAN. 

became  very  popular,  and  was  copied  by  Caracci, 
Campi,  and  others.  The  Mantuans  were  indig- 
nant when  the  originals  were  shipped  to  London 
in  1628.  The  English  Commonwealth  presented 
them  to  the  Spanish  ambassador,  and  most  of 
them  have  disappeared. 

In  the  autumn  Aretino  devised  an  ingenious 
scheme  to  aid  Titian  to  get  the  money  due  from 
the  Emperor,  and  caused  him  to  send  to  the 
Empress  the  picture  of  "  The  Annunciation,"  for 
which  the  nuns  of  Murano  had  refused  to  pay 
the  price  of  five  hundred  scudi.  Charles  returned 
a  present  of  two  thousand  scudi,  and  sent-  the 
picture  to  Spain,  where  it  disappeared.  The 
details  of  this  shrewd  transaction  were  published 
in  an  open  letter  from  Aretino  to  Titian. 

The  three  Vecelli  children  were  now  growing 
apace,  under  the  care  of  their  aunt  Orsa.  In 
November,  Aretino  wrote  a  pla}^ul  letter  to 
"  Pomponio  Monsignorino,"  closing  thus  :  "  It 
is  time  that  you  should  return  from  the  country, 
where  there  is  no  school ;  .  .  .  and,  now  that  you 
are  twelve  years  old,  you  shall  write  some  exer- 
cises in  Hebrew,  in  Greek,  and  in  Latin,  which 
will  astonish  the  doctors,  as  the  pictures  astonish 


TITIAN'S  PUNISHMENT.  83 

the  artists  of  Italy,  which  are  painted  by  Messer 
your  father." 

Standing  witliout  a  rival  in  Northern  Italy 
acknowledged  as  the  prince  of  colorists,  and 
master  of  the  subtle  secret  of  portraying  nature 
without  revealing  his  processes,  Titian  was  now 
entering  the  full-fruited  autumn  of  his  glorious 
life.  The  results  of  his  many  years  of  close 
study  and  earnest  contemplation  were  about  to 
be  displayed  in  all  their  fulness.  The  delicate 
finishing  of  his  earlier  pictures  was  replaced  by  a 
grander  and  freer  execution,  more  impressive  in 
focal  effect,  and  more  realistic  in  breadth  of  de- 
sign. Aretino  illustrated  the  rapidity  with  which 
he  had  learned  to  work,  by  saying  that  he  could 
execute  a  portrait  as  quickly  as  another  could 
scratch  an  ornament  on  a  chest. 

In  1537  the  Council  of  Ten  sharply  decreed 
'.hat  whereas  Titian  had  for  twenty  years  enjoyed 
the  revenues  of  his-  brokership  without  rendering 
due  service  in  return,  he  should  be  compelled  to 
refund  the  eighteen  hundred  ducats  which  he  had 
thus  received.  The  dismayed  artist  knew  that 
diis  was  impossible  ;  and  immediately  set  to  work 
in  the  Hall  of  the  Great  Council,  hoping  to  pla- 


84  TITIAN. 

cate  the  Government  by  his  diligence.  But  the 
Council  had  already  found  a  more  faithful  painter 
in  Pordenone,  whose  earnest  and  careful  labors 
had  adorned  many  churches  in  Friuli,  and  won 
him  a  wide  fame  in  Northern  Italy.  Ten  years 
before,  he  had  been  beaten  in  a  competition  with 
Titian ;  but  his  subsequent  experience  and  his 
superiority  in  fresco-painting,  together  with  his 
recent  success  in  decorating  the  Golden  Hall  of 
the  Library,  made  him  a  formidable  rival.  He 
had  also  been  ennobled  by  the  King  of  Hungary, 
and  was  socially  equal  to  his  great  colleague. 
Pordenone  was  appointed  to  paint  a  panel  adja- 
cent to  ihat  on  which  Titian  was  working. 

Acting  thus  under  the  double  stimulus  of  a 
successful  rival  and  angry  patrons,  the  master 
executed  the  great  picture  of  "The  Battle  of 
Cadore,"  which  was  burnt  in  1577,  but  is  remem- 
bered by  several  copies  and  engravings.  It 
showed  a  body  of  Venetian  knights  charging 
across  a  stone  bridge,  and  routing  the  hostile 
Germans  in  a  general  milee ;  while  rolling  flames 
rose  over  the  Castle  of  Cadore,  on  the  rearward 
crags.  The  figures  were  of  life-size,  and  were 
full  of  strong  action  and  grand  realism.     Rubens 


NEW  PORTRAITS.  85 

made  a  drawing  of  the  principal  group,  which  is 
preserved  at  Vienna.  During  his  visits  to  Cadore 
to  make  sketches  for  the  battle-ground  scene, 
Titian  found  his  countrymen  quarrelling  with  the 
men  of  Belluno  about  boundaries,  and  secured 
for  Sansovino  the  commission  of  visiting  the  dis- 
puted territory  on  behalf  of  the  State. 

In  the  summer  of  1538  the  master  went  to  Pe- 
saro  with  the  Duke  of  Urbino,  who  was  slowly 
dying  from  poison  administered  by  emissaries 
of  France,  then  in  league  with  the  Turks.  He 
worked  on  the  portraits  of  the  emperors,  for 
Mantua,  and  made  two  likenesses  of  the  Sultan 
Soliman,  from  medals.  From  this  time  also  date 
his  portraits  of  Gen.  Savorgnano  and  of  the 
noble  old  veteran  Giovanni  Moro,  a  soldier  of 
the  Venetian  fleet.  His  renewed  attempts  to 
get  his  dues  from  Naples,  and  to  have  the  obnox- 
ious tax  removed  from  Pomponio's  benefice,  were 
fruitless ;  and  Aretino's  letter  to  the  Pope,  asking 
him  to  invite  Titian  to  Rome,  was  unheeded. 
Several  princes  had  defied  Aretinoj  and  a  swarm 
of  satirists  was  assailing  him,  one  of  whom, 
Franco  of  Benevento,  insulted  Titian  in  the  open 
street,  and  then  wrote  a  sonnet  praising  him  foi 


86  TITIAN. 

painting  Aretino's  portrait,  to  show  to  future  ages 
the  quintessence  of  the  infamy  of  the  century. 
But  Aretino  mercilessly  scarified  and  silenced 
his  adversaries  by  malignant  letters,  which  he 
printed  and  scattered  broadcast. 

In  1539  the  Council  of  Ten  restored  the 
broker's  patent  to  the  master;  and  the  sudden 
death  of  Pordenone  left  the  patronage  of  the 
Republic  to  be  engrossed  once  more  by  its  most 
eminent  painter,  Pietro  Lando  was  elected  to 
the  dogeship  this  year,  and  his  official  portrait 
was  executed  by  Titian.  The  Marquis  of  Guas- 
to,  the  imperialist  governor  of  Milan,  and  a  great 
favorite  of  Charles  V.,  was  present  at  Lando's 
coronation,  and  prdered  the  artist  to  make  his 
portrait  in  the  act  of  addressing  his  troops. 
Titian  confided  to  the  Marquis  his  financial 
troubles,  and  secured  from  him  a  nev/  canonr}' 
for  Pomponio.  During  the  same  season  he 
painted  portraits  of  Agostino  Lando,  the  agent 
of  Parma,  and  Cardinal  Bembo,  the  latter  of 
which  is  now  in  the  Barberini  Palace  at  Rome. 

"  The  Presentation  in  the  Temple,"  now  in  the 
Venetian  Academy,  was  one  of  the  master's  most 
gorgeous  works,  and  one  of  his  largest,  being  nc 


TITIAN'S  FEAST.  87 

less  than  twenty-five  feet  long.  It  shows  the 
child  Mary  ascending  the  steps  of  a  splendid 
temple,  with  Joachim  and  Anna  below,  the  ven- 
erable high-priest  in  the  portico,  and  groups  of 
Catholic  prelates  and  senators.  Venetian  art, 
rising  from  rude  Byzantine  votive  pictures  to  the 
study  of  the  antique  and  of  perspective  in  Bellini 
and  Giorgione,  in  this  picture  reaches  one  of  its 
points  of  culmination.  A  contemporary  work 
was  "  The  Angel  and  Tobit,"  which  is  still  kept 
in  the  Church  of  San  Marciliano,  and  shows  a 
glorious  angel  advancing  towards  the  av/e-stricken 
youth. 

In  August,  1540,  the  Latinist  Priscianese  was 
present  at  a  "bacchanalian  feast"  of  delicious 
viands  and  precious  wines  in  Titian's  beautiful 
home  at  Casa  Grande,  in  company  with  Aretino, 
Sansovino,  Nardi,  and  other  leaders  of  the  culti- 
vated society  of  Venice.  The  visitor  describes 
their  discussion  over  the  pictures  in  the  studio 
until  the  heat  of  the  afternoon  had  passed,  and 
their  enjoyment  of  the  large  and  pleasant  gardens. 
"  This  part  of  the  sea,  as  soon  as  the  sun  went 
down,  swarmed  with  gondolas  adorned  with  beau- 
tiful women,  and  resounded  with  the  varied  har- 


oo  TITIAN. 

moiiy  and  music  of  voices  and  instruments,  which 
till  midnight  accompanied  our  delightful  supper." 

Such  feasts  were  common  occurrences  at  Casa 
Grande,  where  it  seems  that  the  household  ex 
penses  must  have  been  large  enough  to  rendei 
necessary  Titian's  tireless  efforts  to  secure  his 
just  dues  from  the  imperial  pensions. 

In  1540  the  master  earned  an  organ  to  add  to  his 
luxurious  surroundings,  by  painting  the  portrait  of 
Alessandro,  the  organ-maker.  This  was  followed 
by  portraits  of  Vincenzo  Capello,  a  naval  officer; 
Elisabetta  Quirini,  the  beautiful  sister  of  the 
Patriarch  ;  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Mantua, 
for  a  present  to  the  Count  Palatine  of  the  Rhine  ; 
and  Don  Diego  de  Mendoza,  the  imperial  en- 
voy, a  wealthy  young  noble  who  expended  great 
sums  on  art  and  the  fair  sex.  All  these  pictures 
have  long  since  disappeared,  together  with  scores 
of  other  paintings  b}"  the  great  master,  whose 
loss  is  now  deplored  by  the  world. 


DEATH  OF  GONZAGA.  89 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

At  Mantua  and  Milan.  —  The  Academy,  —  Vasari.  —  Paul  III.  and 

the  Emperor.  —  The  Famese  Family.  —  Northern  Journeys.  — 
Portraits. 

Late  in  1540  Titian  attended  the  funeral  of 
his  generous  patron,  the  Duke  of  Mantua,  one 
of  the  noblest  and  most  intelligent  princes  of 
Italy,  who  had  helped  Raphael,  Titian,  Romano, 
and  many  other  artists.  After  the  solemn  cere- 
monies at  Mantua,  the  artist-count  visited 
Cadore,  where  he  gave  a  notaryship  to  one  of 
his  kinsmen. 

All  the  triumvirs  were  now  engaged  by  D'Av- 
alos,  the  Marquis  of  Guasto.  Sansovino  made  a 
bronze  statue  of  St.  Catherine,  and  Aretino 
wrote  her  biography  ;  and  these  were  sent  to  the 
Marchioness  at  Milan,  during  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  Titian  finished  his  admirable  picture 
of  the  Marquis,  in  burnished  armor,  addressing 
a  company  of  halberdiers.  The  artist  received  a 
l^ension  of  fifty  scudi  a  year  for  this  work,  which 
Is  now  at  Madrid. 


90  TITIAN. 

During  the  summer  Charles  V.  entered  Milan 
in  grand  state,  with  a  brilliant  retinue  of  prelates 
and  nobles,  being  on  his  way  to  prepare  the 
imperial  fleet  for  the  attack  on  Algiers,  under  the 
Prince  of  Salerno.  Titian  was  present  at  these 
ceremonies,  bearing  letters  from  Aretino  to  sev- 
eral eminent  nobles,  and  having  with  him  the 
D'Avalos  portrait,  and  a  "  Nativity  "  for  Torni- 
ello,  which  was  destined  for  the  Novara  Cathe- 
dral. He  painted  several  portraits  here,  and  was 
rewarded  by  the  Emperor  with  an  annuity  of  one 
hundred  ducats  from  the  Milanese  treasury. 

In  October  Titian  was  again  settled  in  Venice, 
leading  a  merry  life  with  Aretino,  Sansovino,  and 
their  new  associate,  the  bookseller  Marcolini. 
These  gentlemen  were  the  leaders  of  "  The 
Academy,"  a  cheerful  club  of  congenial  spirits 
which  often  met  at  the  studio  in  the  Casa  Grande, 
and  at  Aretino's  palace  on  the  Grand  Canal. 
At  the  carnival  the  brilliant  company  of  the 
Calze  played  Aretino's  new  comedy  of  "  Ta- 
lanta,"  with  scenery  painted  by  Giorgio  Vasari, 
who  had  been  brought  to  Venice  for  the  purpose. 
Titian  was  pleased  with  this  work,  and  intro- 
duced the   young  artist  to  the  princely  Cornaro 


TITIAN'S  PORTRAITS.  91 

family,  for  which  he  had  just  completed  a  pictuic 
of  the  late  Catherine  Cornaro,  Queen  of  Cyprus, 
with  the  attributes  of  a  saint.  Several  replic'\s 
of  this  favorite  portrait  are  now  in  England. 

The  votive  picture  of  the  Doge  Lando  has  dis- 
appeared ;  but  the  portrait  of  the  daughter  of 
Roberto  Strozzi  still  adorns  the  Strozzi  Palace 
at  Florence.  She  was  then  in  her  tenth  year, 
with  a  round  face  and  curly  hair,  and  a  dress  of 
white  satin.  On  seeing  this  picture,  Aretino 
wrote,  "  If  I  were  a  painter,  I  should  die  of 
despair.  .  .  .  Certain  it  is  that  Titian's  pencil 
has  waited  on  his  old  age  to  perform  its  mira- 
cles." The  Strozzi  were  then  the  richest  family 
in  Italy,  and  devoted  their  energies  to  opposing 
the  Medici  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  and  to  the 
patronage  of  art  and  letters. 

In  1542  Titian  produced  his  own  portrait,  now 
in  the  Berlin  Museum,  showing  a  grand  and 
powerful  face,  with  a  high  forehead,  bright  and 
spirited  eyes,  a  finely-cut  nose,  and  a  gray  beard 
and  moustache.  A  similar  portrait  is  in  the 
Uffizi  Gallery ;  and  an  earlier  one  is  in  the 
Vienna  Belvedere.  Several  others  are  now  in 
England,  showing   the   master   and  his  friends  ; 


92  TITIAN. 

but  their  authenticity  is  doubtful.  Veronese  anc' 
Pahiia  Giovine  also  portrayed  his  features  in 
certain  of  their  great  frescos. 

Titian  now  found  a  new  Maecenas  in  Duke 
Guidobaldo  II.  of  Urbino,  the  Venetian  com- 
mander-in-chief, who  divided  his  time  between 
his  sea-port  of  Pesaro  and  his  palace  at  Venice, 
where  he  held  court  with  the  Duchess  Julia. 
Here  he  received  the  leading  statesmen,  lite- 
rati, and  artists  of  the  republic,  among  whom 
passed  the  colloquies  which  Sperone  published. 
Titian  was  the  idol  of  this  august  coterie,  as 
Raphael  was  of  Castiglione's  "  Cortigiano ; "  and 
in  one  of  the  dialogues  Tullia  said  :  "  I  hold 
Titian  not  to  be  a  painter,  —  his  creations  not 
art,  —  but  his  works  to  be  miracles;  and  I  think 
that  his  pigments  must  be  composed  of  that 
wonderful  herb  which  made  Glaucus  a  god  when 
he  partook  of  it,  since  his  portraits  make  upon 
me  the  impression  of  something  divine  ;  and,  as 
heaven  is  the  paradise  of  the  soul,  so  God  has 
transfused  into  Titian's  colors  the  paradise  of 
our  bodies." 

In  March,  1542,  the  thrifty  artist  bought  a  mill 
in  the  Vale  of  Cadorc,  and  speculated  in  grain, 


THE  FARNESE  FAMILY.  93 

replenishing  the  Cadorine  magazines  for  muni- 
cipal bonds.  On  his  return  from  the  north  he 
met  at  Conegliano  the  Medicean  partisan  Vitelli, 
who  had  been  acting  as  a  general  of  the  Holy 
Roman  Empire  against  the  Turks.  Aretino  ex- 
changed laudatory  letters  with  this  dashing  free- 
lance, and  recommended  him  to  have  Titian 
paint  his  portrait. 

When  Alfonso  d'Este  and  Federigo  Gonzaga 
died,  in  1534  and  1540,  our  artist  lost  his  noblest 
patrons ;  but  in  1542  he  was  taken  up  by  the 
Farnese  family,  who  for  many  years  honored 
themselves  by  advancing  his  interests.  The 
head  of  this  illustrious  house  was  Pope  Paul 
HI.,  whose  natural  son  married  an  Orsini,  and 
had  five  children,  —  Alessandro,  who  was  made 
a  cardinal  in  his  fourteenth  year;  Vittoria,  after- 
wards Duchess  of  Urbino ;  Ottavio,  who  married 
the  daughter  of  Charles  V. ;  Orazio,  the  husband 
of  a  princess  of  France ;  and  Ranuccio,  who  be- 
came Archbishop  of  Ragusa  in  his  thirteenth 
year,  and  cardinal  a  year  later.  While  the  latter 
was  studying  at  the  University  of  Padua,  under 
the  Patriarch  of  Aquileia  and  the  philosopher 
Leoni,  he  was   induced   by  Cardinal  Bembo   to 


94  TITIAN. 

have  his  portrait  painted  by  Titian.  The  two 
pictures  in  the  Vienna  Belvedere,  called  "  A 
Young  Jesuit "  and  "  St.  James  the  Elder,"  prob- 
ably represent  Ranuccio  and  Leoni.  The  Patri- 
arch was  highly  pleased  wilh  tbi«  work,  and  urged 
the  master  to  enter  the  Pope's  service,  offering  a 
new  benefice  to  his  son.  He  loved  Venice  too 
well  to  leave  it  willingly ;  yet  paternal  affection 
moved  him  to  make  a  personal  sacrifice  for  the 
benefit  of  the  worthless  Pomponio,  and  he  con- 
sented to  join  the  household  of  Cardinal  Ales- 
sandro  Farnese  at  Rome. 

In  1543  the  master  executed  the  canvases  now 
in  the  Salute  Church,  showing  Abraham's  sacri- 
fice of  Isaac,  the  murder  of  Abel,  and  David's 
victory  over  Goliath.  To  these  were  added  "  The 
Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  "  The  Four  Chris- 
tian Fathers,"  and  "  The  Four  Evangelists,"  where 
Titian  gives  his  own  portrait  in  the  face  of  St. 
Matthew.  In  these  great  figures  the  master  is 
thought  to  have  surpassed  Michael  Angelo,  and 
displayed  all  the  life  of  the  Florentine  without 
his  statuesque  formality. 

Charles  V.  was  now  menaced  by  the  Protestant 
princes,  while  his  armies  had  been  defeated  bj 


TITIAN  AND    THE  POPE.  95 

the  Moslems  at  Algiers  in  1541,  and  at  Pesth  in 
1542,  and  the  Turks  and  the  French  were  men- 
acing Italy.  He  visited  the  peninsula  to  confirm 
his  alliance  with  Pope  Paul  III.,  who  met  him  at 
Brusseto  Castle,  attended  by  forty-two  cardinals 
and  bishops,  and  demanded  the  duchy  of  Milan 
for  his  grandson  Ottavio.  Titian  was  summoned 
hither  by  the  Pope,  and  was  the  guest  of  Cardinal 
Farnese,  whose  Roman  receptions  united  the  chief 
devotees  of  art  and  letters.  He  executed  a  fresco 
representing  the  meeting  of  the  Emperor  and 
Pope  ;  and  was  cordially  received  by  Charles,  who 
gave  him  a  medal  from  which  to  make  a  portrait 
of  the  Empress,  and  praised  his  works  to  Aretino. 
This  inveterate  courtier,  bewailing  the  change 
from  a  gliding  gondola  to  a  jolting  horse,  and 
declaring  that  he  would  never  leave  Venice 
again,  had  reached  the  presence  of  the  Emperor, 
who  treated  him  right  urbanely.  Paul  III.  offered 
Titian  the  lucrative  position  of  the  seal  of  the 
papal  bulls,  then  held  by  Sebastiano  del  Piombo 
and  Giovanni  da  Udine  ;  but  the  noble-hearted 
old  man  declined  an  arrangement  which  would 
deprive  two  brother  artists  of  their  support. 
At.  this  time  fTitian  painted  a  wonderful  por- 


96  TITIAN. 

trait  of  the  Pope  ;  a  gray-bearded  prelate  with  a 
tall  ard  gaunt  figure,  high  forehead,  bleary  eyes, 
and  thin  lips.  Here  Flemish  minuteness  is  com- 
bined with  Venetian  richness  of  coloring,  and 
true  Titianesque  breadth  of  execution.  Another 
remarkable  picture  was  that  of  the  Pope's  vicious 
son,  Pier  Luigi  Farnese,  Duke  of  Castro,  with  his 
oily  skin,  sensual  lips,  and  treacherous  eyes.  Car- 
dinal Farnese's  portrait  shows  a  downy-chinned 
youth  in  rich  robes,  before  a  violet  curtain.  These 
pictures  are  now  at  Naples,  with  numerous  copies 
elsewhere,  and  other  portraits  of  the  same  per- 
sons by  the  master. 

Titian  returned  from  Brusseto  to  Bologna,  and 
staid  until  midsummer  with  Cardinal  Farnese, 
who  promised  him  the  benefice  of  the  Abbey  of 
San  Pietro  in  Colle.  The  Archbishop  of  San 
Severino  resisted  this  grant ;  Farnese  suddenly 
left  Bologna  with  a  fever  ;  and  the  anxious  artist 
returned  home  empty-handed. 

Once  more  in  his  comfortable  rural  studio,  the 
master  began  the  great  "  Ecce  Homo,"  where  the 
suffering  Saviour  is  exposed  to  an  angry  crowd, 
and  guarded  by  Pilate,  who  has  Aretino's  face, 
while   the  turbaned   horseman  iielow   is   a   por 


THE   COTTAGE  AT  MANZA.  97 

trait  of  Sultan  Soliman,  and  his  steel-armored 
companion  is  Alfonso  d'Este.  It  was  painted 
for  the  son  of  Martin  vander  Hanna,  a  wealth]) 
Brussels  merchant  who  had  spent  his  money 
freely  for  the  Empire,  and,  after  being  ennobled 
by  the  King  of  Bohemia,  had  settled  in  a  palace 
on  the  Grand  Canal  at  Venice.  Henri  III.  tried 
to  buy  the  "  Ecce  Homo ; "  and  in  1620  it  was 
sold  to  the  superb  Duke  of  Buckingham,  who 
refused  an  offer  of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars 
which  the  Earl  of  Arundel  made  for  it.  After 
Buckingham's  murder,  his  son  sold  it  for  a  small 
sum  to  a  canon  of  Brussels,  whence  it  passed,  by 
Prague,  to  the  Vienna  Belvedere. 

About  the  same  time  Titian  painted  "  The  As- 
sumption," a  harmonious  and  dignified  work,  now 
in  the  Verona  Cathedral.  It  shows  the  serene 
and  adoring  Virgin  rising  on  the  clouds,  with  the 
startled  apostles  grouped  around  the  empty  tomb. 
Later  in  the  summer  he  painted  an  altar-piece  at 
the  hamlet  of  Castel  Roganzuolo,  near  Ceneda 
and  the  coveted  Abbey  of  Colle.  The  villagers 
found  difficulty  in  raising  two  hundred  ducats  to 
pay  for  his  work,  and  gave  him  a  stone  cottage 
on  the  hill  of   Manza.     This   sweet   rural   nook 


9  8  TITIAN. 

became  a  favorite  resor*-  of  the  master,  and  com- 
manded a  noble  view  of  the  Julian  Alps,  the 
broad  and  village-studded  plains  towards  the 
Adriatic,  and  the  distant  campanile  of  Venice 
'tself.  The  picture  here  painted  has  disap- 
peared ;  and  its  place  in  the  forlorn  little  church 
is  now  occupied  by  one  of  Orazio  Vecelli's  paint- 
ings. 

Unhappy  Italy  was  now  again  under  the  har- 
row of  war ;  and  the  invading  French  army  had 
defeated  and  slain  the  Marquis  of  Guasto  at 
Cerisole,  while  Charles  V.  had  marched  into 
France,  attended  by  the  Papal  Legate,  Cardinal 
Farnese.  After  peace  was  declared,  Titian  en- 
deavored to  renew  his  connection  with  the  Car- 
dinal. 

In  October  the  master  finished  the  portraits  of 
the  Empress,  and  forwarded  them  with  a  courtly 
letter,  attended  by  another  from  Aretino  refer- 
ring to  Titian's  unpaid  claims  on  Naples  and 
Milan.  These  portraits  were  carried  by  Charles 
v.  from  Brussels  to  his  retirement  in  the  Convent 
of  Yuste,  after  his  abdication,  and  were  after- 
wards copied  by  Rubens.  One  of  them  remains 
in    the    Madrid    Museum,    and    shows    a   richly 


PORTRAITS.  99 

dressed  lady  of  about  twenty-five,  with  a  grave 
and  sad  face.  It  was  one  of  the  Emperor's  dear- 
est treasures,  and  he  asked  to  see  it  while  he  was 
on  his  death-bed. 

New  efforts  were  now  made  by  the  Academy 
to  have  Titian  paid  for  his  works  at  Bologna ;  and 
he  and  Aretino  wrote  extravagant  letters  to  Car- 
dinal Farnese,  and  induced  Ranuccio  to  do  the 
same.  They  also  wrote  to  Michael  Angelo, 
praising  his  work,  and  seeking  his  aid.  Gualte- 
ruzzi,  Ottavio  Farnese,  Cardinal  Bembo,  and 
others  at  Rome,  were  in  like  manner  bombarded 
with  letters  about  Pomponio's  sinecure. 

In  1545  Titian  painted  six  portraits  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Duke  of  Urbino's  coterie,  including 
the  Duke  and  Duchess,  Morosini,  Sperone,  Cor- 
vino,  and  Barbaro,  who  became  Patriarch  of 
Aquileia  and  patron  of  Veronese  and  Palladio. 
The  portrait  of  Aretino,  in  the  Pitti  Palace, 
shows  an  audacious  face,  massive  forehead,  large 
dark  eyes,  and  gray-streaked  beard.  Its  subject 
upbraided  Titian  for  the  imperfect  finish  of  the 
picture,  and  then  sent  it  as  a  present  to  the  Me- 
^icean  Duke  of  Florence. 


lOO  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Titian  at  Rome  and  Florence. -^Lavinia.  —  Three  Venuses.— 
Journey  to  Augsburg.  —  Portraits  of  Sovereigns  and  Nobles. — 
Return  to  Venice. 

After  the  Council  of  Trent,  in  1545,  the  Turk 
and  the  Gaul  were  at  peace  with  the  Church  and 
the  Empire  ;  and  the  Farnese  Pope,  Cardinal,  and 
Dukes  were  concentrated  at  their  vast  Roman 
palace.  They  wished  to  add  the  attractions  of 
art  to  the  lustre  of  their  princely  court,  and 
earnestly  invited  Titian  to  join  them.  Quirini 
urged  him  to  accept,  and  placated  the  Duke  of 
Urbino  for  the  loss  of  his  favorite  ;  and  in  Sep- 
tember Titian  and  his  son  Orazio  journeyed  with 
the  Duke's  retinue  through  Ferrara  to  Pesaro, 
whence  they  passed  to  Rome  under  the  circum- 
stances indicated  in  Aretino's  letter :  "  Titian 
bids  me  adore  the  Duke  of  Urbino,  whose 
princely  kindness  was  never  equalled  by  any 
sovereign  ;  and  he  bids  me  do  this  in  gratitude 
for  the  escort  of  seven  riders,  the  payment  of  tlic 


TITIAN  AT  ROME.  lOI 

journey,  the  company  on  the  road,  the  caresses, 
honors,  and  presents,  the  hospitality  of  a  palace 
which  he  was  bid  to  treat' as  his  own."' 

He  was  warmly  received -"by  the  Pope  find  Car- 
dinal Bembo  ;  and  Cardinal  Farnese  gave  him 
a  suite  in  the  Belvedere  Palace,  and  appoirited 
Vasari  as  his  guide  to  Rome.  That  gossipping 
artist  conducted  him  to  the  gallery  of  antiques, 
where  he  was  greatly  interested ;  to  Raphael's 
tapestries,  of  which  he  made  sketches  ;  to  the 
remarkable  Farnesina  frescos,  which  he  affected 
to  believe  were  carved  in  stone ;  and  to  the  Vati- 
can Stanze,  where  he  severely  reproved  Sebas- 
tiano  for  his  presumptuous  restoration  of  the 
great  Raphael's  works.  He  derived  much  bene- 
fit from  these  studies,  and  expressed  a  regret 
that  he  had  not  visited  Rome  twenty  years 
sooner.  Michael  Angelo  said  that  he  would 
have  been  a  paragon  if  he  had  learned  in  his 
youth  to  design  better  ;  and  Sebastiano  declared 
that  he  might  have  produced  masterpieces  if  he 
had  come  to  Rome  forty  years  earlier,  and  studied 
Angelo,  Raphael,  and  the  antiques.  But  their 
ideals  of  illuminating  chaste  Florentine  designs 
with  gorgeous  Venetian  coloring  could  nevei 
have  been  realized. 


I02  TITIAN. 

Angelo  visited  Titian  at  the  Belvedere  ;  and 
Perino  de'la  Vaga,  Scbastiano,  and  Vasari, 
though  fearing  lest  he  should  compete  with  them 
in  the  Vatican' decorations,  were  too  politic  to 
show  their  alarm.  The  master  made  strenuous 
efforts  for  the  rich  prize  of  the  Abbey  of  Colle, 
for  Pomponio,  but  other  claimants  forced  it  into 
abeyance.  The  new  Doge  Donato  allowed  him 
to  remain  at  Rome ;  and  released  his  friend  San- 
sovino,  who  was  in  prison  for  building  the  new 
Library  so  poorly  that  it  fell  in  and  caused  a 
great  loss  to  Venice. 

During  his  Roman  sojourn  Titian  painted  a 
Venus,  a  Magdalen,  an  Ecce  Homo,  and  por- 
traits of  the  Pope  and  his  son,  Margaret  of 
Austria,  and  Cardinal  Farnese's  daughter  Clclia, 
all  of  which  have  disappeared.  Of  the  two  pic- 
tures which  remain,  one  is  an  admirable  portrait 
of  the  Pope  and  his  grandsons,  the  Cardinal 
and  the  Duke  of  Castro.  Though  the  artist  was 
domiciled  in  his  palace,  the  decrepit  old  Pope 
would  give  him  but  few  sittings,  and  his  portrait 
is  inferior  to  the  others,  the  meditative  Cardinal 
and  the  crafty  Duke.  Paul  is  shown  as  turn- 
ing   irritably   toward    the   latter,  with  whom    he 


TITIAN  AT  FLORENCE.  1 03 

was  displeased  for  envying  his  father's  elevation 
to  the  dukedom  of  Parma. 

The  other  picture,  frequently  copied,  and  now 
at  Naples,  is  a  luscious  and  sensuous  delineation 
of  the  beautiful  Danae,  outstretched  on  white 
cushions,  and  covered  only  with  a  veil,  while 
from  a  brilliant  cloud  close  above  a  shower  of 
gold  pieces  is  falling.  Herein  Titian  surpassed 
even  Correggio's  portrayal  of  the  classic  tradi- 
tion, in  unapproachable  color  and  grand  breadth. 

In  the  summer  of  1546  the  master  returned  by 
Florence,  where  he  inspected  the  treasures  of 
Tuscan  art,  though  the  Duke,  Cosimo  de'  Medici, 
declined  to  have  his  portrait  painted  in  the 
glowing  Venetian  manner.  He  probably  visited 
Piacenza,  and  delineated  its  careworn  and  strug- 
gling Duke,  Pier  Luigi  Farnese,  who  was  slain  by 
the  imperialist  assassins  a  year  later.  He  was 
soon  gladly  welcomed  by  Aretino  and  his  friends 
at  Venice,  and  began  fresh  efforts  with  Cardinal 
Farnese  and  others  to  secure  Colle  for  his  son. 
But  the  Pope  had  joined  the  league  against  the 
Protestants,  and  the  Cardinal  was  his  legate 
with  the  German  armies,  while  Ottavio  Farnese 
Was  levying  Italian  troops  for  the  Danubian  cam- 


I04  TITIAN. 

paigns ;  and  Pomponio  received  no  new  re- 
sources for  the  debaucheries  with  which  he  dis- 
graced his  ecclesiastical  position. 

The  venerable  artist  was  consoled  by  the  affec- 
tion of  his  honorable  son  Orazio  and  his  beauti- 
ful daughter  Lavinia,  the  graceful  and  golden- 
haired  maiden  whose  portrait  he  painted  so  often 
as  a  fruit-bearing  Flora  or  a  Salome,  or  in  other 
forms.  Her  rich  portrait  now  at  Dresden  was 
executed  in  1546,  and  was  copied  by  Rubens 
and  many  other  artists. 

He  was  now  engaged  on  ''The  Descent  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  for  San  Spirito ;  the  official 
portrait  of  the  Doge  Donato  ;  and  a  breathing 
portrait  of  the  valiant  Giovanni  de'  Medici, 
painted  from  a  cast  of  his  dead  face,  for  Are- 
tino.  The  Italian  troops  in  Germany,  after  the 
wars  with  the  Protestant  Saxon  league,  were 
terribly  scourged  by  fatal  diseases  in  their 
winter-quarters  at  Ulm  ;  and  Cardinal  Farnese 
returned  to  Venice,  where  he  frequently  visited 
Titian,  and  ordered  new  pictures. 

In  1547  Vittoria  Farnese  married  the  Duke  of 
Urbino,  by  whose  aid  Titian  secured  the  fat 
Roman  office  of  the  Piombo,  Sebastiano  having 


VSlNUS-PICTURES.  105 

vacated  it  by  death.  In  the  mean  time,  the  in- 
dustrious and  earnest  young  Orazio  Vecelli  had 
married,  and  brought  his  bride  to  dwell  at  Casa 
Grande.  The  master  now  produced  an  altar- 
piece  for  the  church  of  Serravalle,  showing  the 
Madonna  in  heaven  amid  shining  cherubim, 
with  stately  figures  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Andrew 
below.  This  picture  has  been  praised  as  com- 
bining the  power  and  serenity  of  Michael 
Angelo  with  the  dainty  grace  of  Raphael  and 
Correggio,  and  shows  the  effect  of  its  author's 
studies  at  Rome  and  Florence. 

The  "  Venus  and  Adonis  "  was  painted  at  this 
time,  and  shows  the  undraped  queen  of  love 
reclining  in  a  beautiful  landscape,  and  reaching 
towards  the  departing  Adonis,  whose  lithe  and 
movins:  figure  is  clad  in  a  hunter's  suit.  This 
theme  was  frequently  reproduced  in  Titian's 
studio,  and  several  copies  are  in  English  galler- 
ies, the  original  being  at  Alnwick  Castle.  The 
"Venus  and  Cupid"  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery  shows 
the  white  goddess  in  all  the  throbbing  color  and 
rounded  grace  of  nature,  calmly  reclining  on  a 
velvet  couch,  with  red  curtains  in  the  background, 
and  a  distant  gleam   of   Alps  in  evening  light 


lo6  TITIAN. 

The  handsome  little  Cupid  is  whispering  to  her, 
and  at  her  feet  a  dog  sniffs  at  an  owl.  The 
Venus  of  Madrid  is  a  similar  figure,  toying 
with  a  lap-dog,  with  a  man  playing  an  organ  at 
the  foot  of  the  couch.  This  brilliant  picture, 
probably  represents  a  patrician  and  his  mistress  ; 
and  was  duplicated  frequently,  together  with  the 
Uffizi  Venus. 

The  contrast  between  the  voluptuous  Cyprian 
goddess  and  the  heart-broken  Man  of  Sorrows  is 
world-wide  ;  but  it  was  easily  endured  in  those 
days  of  corrupt  Italian  society,  and  a  church  gov- 
erned by  bastard  cardinals.  So  we  find  Titian 
supplementing  his  fleshly  Venus-pictures  by  por- 
traying the  **  Ecce  Homo  "  of  Madrid,  showing 
the  mournful  bent  head  of  Christ,  bleeding  under 
its  crown  of  thorns.  This  work  was  done  on 
slate,  and  presented  to  Charles  V.,  after  a  copy 
had  been  made  for  Aretino.  "  Christ  at  Em- 
maus,"  another  picture  of  1547,  was  given  by 
Contarini  to  the  Republic,  from  whose  palace  it 
passed  to  the  Louvre.  It  shows  the  Saviour 
blessing  the  food  as  He  sits  at  table  with  the 
reverent  and  wondering  Cleopas  and  Luke,  while 
a  dog  and  cat  are  bickering  below.     One  of  the 


yOURN'EY    TO    AUGSBURG.  107 

numerous  copies   of   this  work  is  now  in   Lord 
Yarborough's  gallery. 

During  the  next  winter  Charles  V.,  victorious 
over  the  Protestants,  but  annoyed  by  the  Pope's 
intrigues  with  France,  convened  the  Diet  of  the 
Empire  at  Augsburg,  and  summoned  Titian  to 
attend  him  there,  sending  a  supply  of  money  and 
an  outfit  for  the  journey.  The  artist  was  then 
about  to  enter  the  service  of  Cardinal  Farnese, 
from  which  he  straightway  implored  to  be  re- 
leased, surrendering  the  office  of  the  Piombo, 
and  preferring  the  splendid  imperial  court  to 
the  emoluments  of  Rome.  Influenced  by  the 
Duke  of  Urbino,  the  Cardinal  gave  his  consent, 
and  added  a  richer  favor  by  confirming  to  the 
lucky  artist  the  long-promised  sinecure  of  the 
Abbey  of  Colle.  The  Venetians  hastened  to 
secure  new  paintings  from  their  favorite  master, 
believing  that  he  would  never  return  from  beyond 
the  Alps;  but  he  retained  his  choicest  composi- 
tions, which  he  carried  to  Augsburg,  and  sold  to 
great  advantage.  He  crossed  the  mountains  in 
mid-winter,  though  in  his  seventieth  year,  and 
settled  in  the  coldest  town  in  southern  Germany. 
The  Count  della  Torre  sent  a  letter  to  Cardinal 


lo8  TITIAN. 

Madruzzi,  commending  him  as  "the  first  man  in 
Christendom,  whom  I  ask  you  to  treat  as  you 
would  myself,  and  who  is  coming  at  the  Em- 
peror's bidding  to  do  work  for  his  Majesty." 
He  took  several  young  assistants,  including 
Cesare  Vecelli,  the  son  of  his  father's  cousin. 
Charles  doubled  his  pension  on  Milan,  and  or- 
dered its  payment ;  and  Catani  introduced  him  to 
the  eminent  Bishop  of  Arras. 

Augsburg  was  then  a  walled  imperial  city,  with 
ancient  and  imposing  churches  and  abbeys,  and 
a  broad  main  street  lined  with  frescoed  palace- 
fronts.  Titian  already  knew  the  Fuggers  and 
others  of  its  merchant  princes,  who  owned  es- 
tates in  Venice ;  besides  several  nobles  of  the 
imperial  court,  whose  lustre  then  illuminated  the 
quaint  old  city.  He  wrote  to  Aretino  about 
the  recent  suppression  of  the  liberties  of  the 
city,  as  well  as  of  the  Emperor's  gracious  recep- 
tion and  his  portrait,  with  his  design  of  endowing 
Aretino's  daughter  Austria. 

Titian's  portrait  of  Charles  V.,  now  at  Madrid, 
represents  him  as  he  rode  into  the  battle  of  Miihl- 
berg,  on  the  Elbe,  where  he  defeated  the  Protest- 
aj  t  league,  and  captured  the  Electors  of  Saxon} 


PORTRAITS    OF  PRINCES.'  log 

and  Hesse.  He  is  riding  a  fine  chestnut  horse 
towards  the  gray  river,  and  wears  chain  mail  and 
burnished  armor  inlaid  with  gold  ;  while  liis  gaunl 
and  emaciated  face  and  keen  black  eyes  are 
lighted  with  the  fire  of  battle.  Another  portrait 
shows  him  robed  in  black,  and  sitting  before  a 
hanging  of  golden  damask  at  the  angle  of  an 
open  stone  court.  The  cold  and  saturnine 
Charles,  tortured  with  gout  and  asthma,  was 
accustomed  to  dine  in  moody  solitude,  eating 
enormously,  and  afterwards  listened  to  the  jests 
of  his  courtiers  with  imperturbable  Castilian 
gravity.  He  was  called  "the  ghost  of  a  Kaiser;" 
but  his  iron  will  and  fiery  intellect  were  not  a  whit 
weakened  by  physical  sufferings,  and  he  held  the 
great  sceptre  right  worthily. 

The  portly  and  choleric  Elector  John  Frede- 
rick of  Saxony  was  held  in  captivity  near  the 
Emperor's  home  at  the  Fugger  Palace,  and  stood 
out  stubbornly  against  the  demands  of  Granvelle 
and  the  Diet.  Titian  painted  two  portraits  of 
him,  one  of  which  remains,  showing  a  ponderous 
figure,  with  bloodshot  eyes  and  an  apoplectic 
face  marred  by  a  wound  received  at  Miihlberg, 
yet  bearing  a  true  princely  mien. 


"O  TITIAN. 

Chancellor  Granvelle's  portrait  at  Besangon 
shows  a  white-bearded  noble  in  state  costume, 
with  the  chain  of  the  Golden  Fleece.  Of  an 
obscure  family  of  Franche  Comte',  he  had  risen 
to  the  highest  administrative  post  in  Europe,  and 
was  called  by  Charles  his  "  bed  of  rest,"  since  he 
so  wisely  regulated  the  imperial  policy.  With  his 
vast  wealth  he  built  a  palace  at  Besan9on,  and 
filled  it  with  masterpieces  by  Titian,  Correggio, 
Leonardo,  Diirer,  and  others,  which  were  after- 
wards sold  by  the  heirs  of  Cardinal  Granvelle. 

Another  fine  portrait  represents  Cardinal  Ma- 
druzzi,  Prince-Bishop  of  Trent,  who  bore  to  the 
Pope  Charles  V.'s  order  prohibiting  the  removal 
of  the  great  Council  of  Trent  to  Bologna.  This 
picture  is  preserved  by  the  Cardinal's  descend- 
ant. Baron  Salvadori  of  Trent. 

Among  the  notabilities  assembled  at  the  Diet 
of  the  Empire,  Titian  painted  many  portraits,  sev- 
eral of  which  perished  when  the  Palace  of  Pardo 
was  burned  in  i6oS.  These  pictures-  included 
the  warlike  King  Ferdinand,  who  rode  into  the 
battle  of  Miihlberg  alongside  his  brother  the 
Emperor;  Ferdinand's  daughter,  the  Duchess  of 
Bavaria,  and  her  four  sisters;  his  sons,  Maximil- 


AT  INNSPRUCK  AND    MILAN.  lii 

ian  and  Ferdinand ;  Philibert  Emanuel  of  Savoy, 
the  prospective  son-in-law  of  the  Emperor ;  Mau- 
rice of  Saxony,  clad  in  armor ;  the  valiant  and 
sanguinary  Duke  of  Alva  ;  Granvelle,  Bishop  of 
Arras ;  two  minor  portraits  of  the  Chancellor ; 
Mary,  the  Queen-Dowager  of  Hungary  ;  Dorothy, 
the  Countess  Palatine  ;  Mary  Jacqueline  of  Ba- 
den ;  the  Lady  Christine  ;  Nicole,  the  Chancel- 
lor's wife  j  Pirrovano,  and  Cattani.  He  also 
painted  pictures  of  Prometheus,  Sisyphus,  Ixion, 
and  Tantalus,  at  the  order  of  Queen  Mary. 

In  October  Titian  went  to  King  Ferdinand's 
palace  at  Innspruck,  where  he  painted  a  group 
of  the  princesses  Barbara,  Helena,  and  Joanna, 
and  received  permission  to  cut  lumber  in  the 
Tyrol  for  his  buildings. 

On  his  return  to  Venice,  his  friends  received 
him  with  great  joy,  and  the  Academy  held  ses- 
sions of  jubilee  in  Aretino's  palace.  But  Orazio 
had  been  baffled  in  seeking  the  Milanese  pen- 
sion ;  and  the  master  made  a  winter  journey  to 
Milan,  where  he  met  the  Crown-Prince  Philip, 
the  Duke  of  Alva,  and  Cardinal  Madruzzi,  but 
failed  to  get  the  moneys  due  from  the  Senate. 


112  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Titian's  Family. — Second  Visit  to  Germany.  —  Pictures  for  the 
Imperial  Family.  —  The  Doge  Venier.  —  Death  of  Aretino.  — 
"St,  Lawrence." 

The  year  1549  was  filled  with  domestic  troubles 
for  our  artist.  Pomponio  was  in  the  vortex  of  a 
life  of  dissipation,  and  drew  heavily  on  the  pater- 
nal estate,  disregarding  the  entreaties  of  his 
father,  and  laughing  at  the  upbraidings  of  Aretino. 
The  venerable  Orsa  died  during  the  year,  remov- 
ing the  main-stay  of  the  family,  whom  Aretino 
called  "  sister,  daughter,  mother,  companion,  and 
steward  of  the  household."  Lavinia's  marriage 
with  her  lover,  Cornelio  Sarcinelli  of  Serravalle, 
was  postponed  at  this  time,  because  her  father  was 
unable  to  secure  lac  Milanese  pension,  and  could 
not  provide  her  dowry.  She  was  installed  as 
chief  of  the  studio-household ;  and  the  master 
portrayed  her  in  the  rich  picture  now  at  Berlin, 
robed  in  flowered  yellow  silk,  and  holding  a  sil- 
ver dish  heaped  with  fruits  and   flowers.      Lord 


I 


TITIAN'S  HOME.  113 

Cowper's  picture   of   Lavinia   is   almost   equally 
beautiful. 

Titian  had  recently  bought  the  land  about  the 
Casa  Grande,  and  embellished  his  gardens  and 
house.  The  large  hall  of  the  upper  story  formed 
an  admirable  studio,  accommodating  the  numer- 
ous canvases  under  contract,  and  the  minor  works 
of  the  students.  The  most  notable  of  the  few 
pictures  of  this  year  was  a  design  showing  the 
ingulfing  of  Pharaoh's  army,  which  was  engraved 
by  a  Spanish  pupil  in  the  studio. 

In  1550  France  and  the  Empire  antagonized 
each  other  in  the  papal  election ;  and  when  the 
former  appeared  to  have  won,  Aretino,  eager  to 
get  a  cardinalate,  wrote  to  King  Henri  II.,  and 
besieged  Bonnivet,  the  French  envoy,  with  atten- 
tions, also  inducing  Titian  to  paint  his  portrait. 
Suddenly  the  imperial  interest  became  para- 
mount, and  Aretino  used  Titian's  influence  with 
Charles  V.  and  Granvelle  to  further  his  ends. 

The  master  was  now  summoned  again  to  Augs 
burg,  and  bore  with  him  the  "  Mater  Dolorosa." 
which  Charles  afterwards  carried  to  his  convent- 
cell  at  Yuste.  It  is  one  of  the  most  emotional  of 
^)aintings,  showing  intense  grief  in  its  wan  face, 


114  TITIAN. 

Straining  eyes,  and  hard-wrung  hands.  The 
moody  and  sickly  Emperor  was  now  meditating 
abdication,  and  had  long  and  earnest  conferences 
with  his  artist  about  a  penitential  picture  for  his 
retirement. 

The  captive  Saxon  Elector  had  been  allowed 
to  form  a  little  Protestant  court,  in  which  was 
Lucas  Cranach,  who  painted  for  him  every  after- 
noon. The  decay  of  German  art  was  visible  in 
his  crude  commonplaces ;  yet  Titian  treated  him 
with  great  courtesy,  and  allowed  him  to  paint  his 
portrait. 

The  reason  of  Titian's  summons  was  to  secure 
a  portrait  of  Prince  Philip  of  Spain,  an  ill-shaped, 
ugly-faced,  and  gloomy-hearted  youth  of  twenty- 
four,  who  was  already  showing  the  evil  traits 
which  brought  on  Spain  the  disasters  of  the 
Armada  and  the  loss  of  the  Netherlands.  His 
father  was  then  urging  him  as  his  successor  to 
the  impe^rial  crown,  and  the  crafty  Prince  wajs 
affecting  tne  Diuii  manners  of  the  Germans.  The 
first  portrait  was  a  large  full-length,  in  damaskeu 
steel  and  white  silk,  with  a  face  whose  habitual 
gloom  is  skilfully  disguised  as  thoughtful  gravity. 
It  was  sent  to  London  when  Philip  was  arranging 


VENETIAN  LIFE.  1 15 

his  marriage  with  Queen  Mar)'  of  England,  and  she 
was  so  enamoured  with  the  picture  that  even  her 
courtiers  noticed  her  singular  conduct.  It  was 
afterwards  returned  to  Queen  Mary  of  Hungary, 
and  is  now  at  Madrid,  with  several  fine  copies 
elsewhere.  Titian  also  painted  portraits  of  Phil- 
ip's secretary  and  his  favorite  dwarf. 

In  the  spring  the  court  moved  to  Innspruck, 
where  the  master  painted  King  Ferdinand  and 
his  family  in  a  large  allegorical  picture.  At  his 
last  farewell  Charles  V.  gave  him  a  Spanish  pen- 
sion of  five  hundred  scudi ;  but  this  long  remained 
unpaid,  like  the  previous  grants  on  Naples  and 
Milan. 

On  his  return  to  Venice,  Titian  was  summoned 
before  the  Doge  and  Council,  and  narrated  his 
experiences  at  court.  They  restored  his  broker- 
ship,  which  had  been  annulled  during  his  ab- 
sence, and  the  duty  of  decorating  the  Council 
Hall.  The  remainder  of  1552  was  devoted  to  a 
needed  rest,  and  to  the  cheerful  s)rmposia  of  the 
Academy.  The  physician  Massa  once  asked  him 
about  the  variations  in  his  desire  to  work ;  and 
the  master  replied  that  while  he  was  eager  to 
paint  on  some  days,  on  others  he  could  do  noth- 


Il6  TITIAN. 

ing.  He  doubted  whether  this  was  due  to  the 
influence  of  the  stars  ;  and  Massa  attributed  it 
to  the  variations  of  the  inner  heat  of  the  body. 

Only  four  pictures  were  completed  in  1552, 
three  of  which,  St.  Margaret,  the  Queen  of  Per- 
sia, and  a  landscape,  were  sent  to  Philip  of 
Spain.  The  latter  was  the  first  so-called  land- 
scape of  which  the  history  of  Italian  art  bears 
record ;  for  painting  and  literature  were  as  yet 
thoroughly  anthropocentic.  The  "  St.  Margaret " 
alone  remains  to  our  day,  and  shows  the  fair  and 
holy  maiden  upholding  a  cross  before  a  huge 
dragon  who  emerges  from  an  adjacent  cavern. 
The  letters  attending  these  pictures  are  in  the 
servile  language  of  a  sixteenth-centur)'  courtier, 
craving  permission  to  kiss  the  feet  of  his  High- 
ness. 

The  portrait  of  the  Papal  Legate,  Beccadelli, 
shows  the  plump  prelate  in  an  arm-chair,  with  a 
fair  high  forehead,  heavy  lips,  and  a  pointed 
beard.  Titian  gave  this  official  his  best  work, 
and  Aretino  wrote  him  a  sonnet,  since  they 
wished  him  to  release  their  Minorite  confessor, 
who  was  then  imprisoned  for  denying  the  divine 
origin  of  the  confessional. 


I 


IMPERIAL    PICTURES.  H? 

Early  in  1553  the  master  sent  Philip  his  second 
portrait,  now  in  the  Naples  Museum,  showing  the 
gloomy  Prince  arrayed  in  the  unusual  splendor  of 
a  doublet  of  white  silk  shot  with  gold.  Later  in 
the  spring  the  Emperor  heard  of  Titian's  death, 
and  ordered  Vargas,  his  envoy  at  Venice,  to  re- 
port the  particulars.  He  denied  the  rumor,  and 
narrated  the  great  works  under  way  in  the  studio 
for  the  imperial  family.  Besides  these,  which  he 
called  "  poesies,"  Titian  was  engaged  on  portraits 
of  Vargas  and  the  Prothonotary  Granvelle.  A 
replica  of  his  official  portrait  of  the  new  Doge 
Trevisani  still  remains,  and  shows  a  dull  and 
bilious  face,  and  a  gray  beard  falling  on  a 
lemon-colored  damask  robe. 

In  1554  the  master  forwarded  four  new  pictures 
to  the  imperial  family.  It  is  interesting  to  notice 
the  tact  with  which  he  suited  the  diverse  tastes  of 
his  patrons,  and  the  strange  facility  with  which 
his  pencil  was  engaged  at  the  same  time  on  pic- 
tures of  widely-opposed  tendencies.  To  the  sol- 
emn and  world-weary  Emperor  he  sent  a  realistic 
and  touching  picture  of  "  The  Grieving  Virgin," 
and  the  great  composition  of  "  The  Trinity," 
whose  details  had  been  elaborated  in  the   long 


ii8  TITIAN. 

conferences  at  Augsburg.  It  is  resplendcntljr 
colored,  and  shows  the  Virgin  interceding  before 
the  Father  and  Son  for  the  imperial  family,  whose 
members  kneel  in  their  winding-sheets  below ; 
while  farther  down  is  the  mystic  Dove,  with 
Moses  and  Noah  and  the  prophets  and  evange- 
lists. It  was  a  favorite  subject  of  contemplation 
while  the  ex-emperor  dwelt  in  the  Convent  of 
Yuste,  to  whose  chapel-altar  he  bequeathed  it. 
Philip,  however,  removed  the  picture  and  the 
remains  of  his  great  father  to  the  Escurial.  With 
these  pictures  Titian  sent  a  letter  to  the  "Most 
Csesarean  Majesty,"  complaining  of  the  non-pay- 
ment of  the  pensions  on  Naples,  Milan,  and  Spain. 
He  "  hoped  that  the  liberal  mind  of  the  greatest 
Christian  Emperor  that  ever  lived  would  not  suffer 
his  orders  to  be  contemned  by  his  ministers,"  and 
suggested  that  the  picture  of  the  Virgin  was  fur- 
nished "with  a  semblance  of  grieving  which  re- 
flects the  quality  of  my  troubles." 

To  the  aged  Queen  Mary  of  Hung..ry  the  mas- 
ter sent  a  composition  of  "  Christ  Appearing  to 
the  Magdalene,"  a  later  version  of  the  "Noli  Me 
Tangere."  The  remains  of  this  work  were  re- 
cently found  in  the  Escurial,  serving  as  a  cover  to 


PROFLIGATE    POMPONIO.  119 

an  oil-jar,  and  so  mutilated  that  but  little  idea  of 
the  picture  can  be  obtained. 

To  the  Prince  of  Spain,  whose  many  amours 
were  scantily  condoned  by  his  rigorous  church- 
attendance,  Titian  sent  a  "  Danae,"  a  coarse, 
indelicate,  and  realistic  work,  executed  with 
wonderful  power.  A  fine  contrasting  effect  is 
made  by  the  wrinkled  hag  who  sits  beside  the 
couch  on  which  the  fair  Danae  is  stretched,  and 
greedily  gathers  into  her  apron  the  gold  pieces 
falling  from  the  ardent  cloud.  Of  the  numerous 
copies  of  this  subject  made  by  the  master  and  his 
assistants,  the  best  are  now  at  Vienna  and  St. 
Petersburg.  Philip  rewarded  Titian  munificently 
for  this  work  ;  and  he  sent  in  return  the  luscious 
companion  -  picture  of  "  Venus  and  Adonis," 
which  reached  London  in  a  damaged  state,  after 
the  Prince's  marriage  to  the  Queen  of  England. 
It  is  now  at  Madrid,  and  several  copies  are  in 
England. 

Pomponio's  shameless  profligacy  at  last  drove 
his  father  to  sharp  measures  ;  and  he  secured  the 
revenues  of  one  sinecure  to  himself,  and  trans- 
ferred Medole  from  his  son  to  one  of  his  neph- 
ews.    To  insure  the  favor  of  the  people  toward 


I20  TITIAN. 

his  r\e.vs'  protege,  the  master  painted  for  the  altar 
of  Medole  a  grand  picture  of  "  Christ  Appearing 
to  the  Virgin  Mary,"  showing  the  earnest  direc- 
tion of  his  mind  when  free  from  outside  influ- 
ences. Tradition  says  that  he  remained  a  long 
time  at  Medole,  prostrated  by  sickness  in  his 
nephew's  rectory.  The  villagers  saved  their 
precious  picture  by  concealing  it  in  a  tomb  during 
the  French  Revolution. 

After  reigning  one  year,  the  Doge  Trevisani 
died,  passing  quietly  away  while  attending  mass  ; 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  generous  and  energet- 
ic Francesco  Venier,  for  whom  Titian  painted 
the  last  of  his  portraits  of  the  Doges.  He  then 
prepared  a  votive  picture,  which  was  hung  over 
the  entrance  to  the  Hall  of  the  Pregadi,  showing 
the  late  Doge  Trevisani  kneeling  before  the 
Madonna.  Venier  also  caused  the  artist  to  paint 
a  votive  picture  of  the  Doge  Grimani,  who  died 
thirty  years  before,  showing  him  in  steel  armor, 
attended  by  St.  Mark  and  a  Venetian  standard- 
bearer,  kneeling  before  a  beautiful  woman  who 
bears  a  cup  and  a  cross.  Some  say  that  this  is 
an  allegory  of  Faith ;  others,  that  the  cross  and 
cup  symbolize  Grimani's  defeats  and  captivities 


ABDICATION   OF   CHARLES    V.  121 

After  working  on  this  grand  tlieme  for  four 
months,  Titian  abandoned  it,  for  some  unknowi? 
reason,  leaving  other  hands  to  finish  and  crown 
it  after  his  death. 

The  Prince  of  Spain  manifested  his  eagerness 
to  receive  the  master's  latest  works  for  him,  and 
wrote  that  he  should  order  the  Duke  of  Alva  to 
pay  the  long-withheld  pensions.  The  "  Perseus 
and  Andromeda,"  and  several  other  pictures, 
were  thereupon  sent  to  him  at  Brussels. 

In  1555  the  great  Emperor  abdicated  his 
crowns  and  honors,  and  transferred  the  govern- 
ment of  Spain  and  the  Netherlands  to  Prince 
Philip,  under  the  title  of  Philip  II.  Charles 
sought  rest  and  tranquillity,  and  a  fitting  prepara- 
tion for  death,  in  the  remote  Estremaduran  Con- 
vent of  Yuste,  where  he  carried  nine  of  Titian's 
paintings  to  console  the  long  hours  of  solitude 
by  reminding  of  those  who  had  been  dear  to 
him,  or  to  stimulate  his  meditation  on  sacred 
themes.  With  a  quaint  love  of  contrasts,  he  had 
two  of  these  pictures  framed  with  two  Flemish 
works  by  Coxcie,  one  of  Raphael's  pupils. 

In  June,  1555,  the  beautiful  Lavinia  Vecelli 
was  married  to  her  faithful  Sarcinelli,  a  well-born 


122  TITIAN. 

youth  of  Serravalle,  and  brought  him  a  regal 
dowry  of  fourteen  hundred  ducats.  The  Govern- 
ment now  chose  Sansovino  and  Titian  to  name 
the  artists  for  the  decoration  of  the  new  Library ; 
and  they  appointed  Paul  Veronese,  Schiavone, 
and  others.  The  former  was  a  favorite  of  the 
Academy,  as  Tintoretto  was  its  enemy,  and,  on 
the  completion  of  the  Library  frescos,  received 
from  Titian  the  golden  chain  of  honor.  During 
the  year  the  master  painted  "  St.  John  in  the 
Desert,"  now  in  the  Venetian  Academy,  with  a 
grand  stern  face,  weather  -  beaten  and  full  of 
passionate  fire  ;  a  marvel  of  design  and  color. 

About  this  time  the  Governor  of  Milan  appoint- 
ed a  day  to  dine  with  Titian,  who  gave  orders 
that  the  banquet  should  be  prepared  by  his  own 
servants,  with  carte  blanche.  He  did  not  come 
till  the  next  day  after  that  appointed,  when,  find- 
ing the  artist  absent  from  his  villa,  he  accused 
him  of  intentional  insult,  and  left  in  high  dud- 
geon. 

Late  in  1556,  Titian  met  with  a  great  loss  in 
the  death  of  Aretino,  who  had  been  his  warmest 
friend  for  over  thirty  years.  During  a  feast  at 
his  palace,  one  of  the  guests  made  such  an  excel- 


DEA  TH  OF  ARE  TINO.  1 2  3 

lent  joke  that  he  burst  into  a  fit  of  immoderate 
laughter,  and,  falling  back,  struck  his  head 
against  a  corner,  and  soon  expired.  It  was  dubi 
ously  reported  that  he  lived  long  enough  to 
receive  extreme  unction,  and  concluded  his  life 
with  the  impious  jest :  "  Now  that  I  am  oiled, 
keep  me  from  the  rats."  But  of  late  years  Are- 
tino  had  passed  through  a  great  change,  and  had 
ceased  to  write  ribaldry,  and  consecrated  his  pen 
to  preparing  lives  of  the  saints  and  a  paraphrase 
of  the  Penitential  Psalms  j  so  that  his  astonished 
friends  at  length  gave  him  the  title  of  "  The 
Fifth  Evangelist."  Pola,  however,  wrote  bitterly 
to  the  Governor  of  Milan,  that  "  that  mascarone 
Aretino  has  given  up  his  soul  to  Satan,  whose 
death,  I  think,  will  not  displease  many,  and  par- 
ticularly not  those  who  are  from  henceforth  re- 
lieved from  paying  tribute  to  the  brute." 

Pola  had  been  sent  to  investigate  a  supposed 
insult  to  the  Governor  of  Milan  on  the  part  of 
Titian ;  but  the  master  apologized,  and  sent  his 
son  Orazio  to  Milan  and  Genoa,  on  a  fruitless 
attempt  at  the  pension.  He  also  relented  to- 
Jvard  his  prodigal  son  Pomponio,  and  transferred 
►o  him  the  revenues  of  Sant'  Andrea  del  Fabbro. 


124  TITIAN. 

In  1558  Titian  finished  "  The  Martyrdom  of 
St.  Lawrence,"  now  in  the  Jesuits'  Church  at 
Venice,  for  the  sepulchral  chapel  of  ]\Iassolo,  in 
the  Crocifcri  Church.  It  is  a  dark  night-scene, 
weirdly  lighted  by  the  brilliant  star  at  which  the 
expiring  saint  is  gazing,  by  the  fire  of  martyr- 
dom, and  by  a  large  cage -torch.  The  nude 
figure  bound  on  the  gridiron,  and  the  moving 
soldiers  about  him,  are  delineated  with  an  ana- 
tomical accuracy  and  a  grandeur  of  composition 
equal  to  the  best  works  of  Michael  Angelo. 
Another  work  of  tremendous  power,  suggesting 
the  classic  group  of  the  Laocoon,  is  the  "  Christ 
Crowned  with  Thorns,"  which  remained  in  Milan 
until  the  present  century,  when  it  passed  to  the 
Louvre.  The  Saviour  is  shrinking  under  intense 
pain,  while  two  powerful  men  press  the  thorns 
deep  into  His  head  with  long  sticks,  and  soldiers 
hold  His  bound  wrists,  and  derisively  kneel  before 
the  mock-royal  robe  of  scarlet. 

The  best  portrait  of  this  period  is  the  "  La- 
vinia  "  of  Dresden,  showing  the  artist's  daughter, 
with  her  full  but  clearly-cut  face,  sparkling  eyes, 
rosy  lips,  and  pearl-adorned  chestnut  hair.  Her 
mature  and  finely  developed   figure  is  robed  in 


I 


TITIAN'S  ENGRAVINGS.  125 

green  velvet,  with  one  hand  holding  a  fan,  and 
the  other  grasping  her  skirt. 

Among  the  minor  works  of  1558,  were  the 
]M)rtraits  of  Rezzonico  and  Salvaresio,  and  the 
church-banner  for  San  Bernardino.  The  por- 
traits still  exist  at  Milan  and  Vienna ;  and  that 
of  Salvaresio  shows  a  travel-bronzed  man,  attend- 
ed by  a  negro  boy. 

It  is  claimed  that  Titian  added  to  his  manifold 
gifts  the  arts  of  engraving  on  copper  and  wood, 
and  of  fetching.  The  coppar-plates  which  are 
attributed  to  him  are  large  landscape-pictures, 
lightly  but  delicately  outlined.  His  woodcuts 
were  "  The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine,"  "  Samson 
and  Delilah,"  and,  possibly,  "The  Triumph  of 
Faith."  Most  of  these  works  were  executed  in 
the  earlier  part  of  his  career,  before  his  time  was 
BO  completely  occupied  by  more  brilliant  works. 


126  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Orazio's  Mischance.  —  Pictures  for  Philip  II.  —  The  Villa  at  Cene- 
da.  —  The  Pensions.  —  The  Dianas,  Europa,  and  Religious 
Pictures. 

In  September,  1558,  Titian's  greatest  bene- 
factor, the  ex-emperor  Charles  V.,  died  at  the 
Convent  of  Yuste,  after  a  long  and  gridual  de- 
cline. In  his  last  moments  he  gazed  lovingly 
at  the  master's  portrait  of  the  Empress,  and  then 
fixed  his  eyes  upon  his  picture  of  the  Trinity, 
which  he  looked  at  so  long  and  fixedly  as  to 
alarm  his  physicians.  Philip  II.  heard  of  his 
father's  death  while  at  Ghent,  and  secluded  him- 
self for  several  weeks  in  the  Monastery  of  Groe- 
nendale. 

Upon  Philip's  ordering  the  Governor  of  Milan 
to  pay  the  arrears  of  the  pensions  which  Charles 
had  granted  to  Titian,  Orazio  was  sent  to  receive 
the  money,  and  was  invited  with  great  effusion 
to  the  palace  of  the  sculptor  Leone  Aretino, 
who   had   been    advanced    in  the    world    by    his 


LETTER  TO  PHILIP  IL  1 27 

kinsman  Pietro,  through  his  influence  with  Titian 
and  the  Emperor.  He  had  wounded  several 
men  in  different  Italian  cities,  but  easily  made 
new  friends,  and  was  now  living  in  princely 
style.  After  entertaining  Orazio  for  a  month, 
Leone  and  his  servants  fell  upon  him,  and  in- 
flicted several  dagger-wounds,  so  that  he  escaped 
to  the  street  with  difficulty,  and  was  carried  to 
the  Falcon  Inn,  and  attended  by  the  Governor's 
surgeon.  Leone  had  hoped  to  murder  him,  and 
get  the  two  thousand  ducats  which  he  had  just 
received  on  his  father's  account.  The  treacherous 
host  was  fined  and  banished  from  Milan,  thcjugh 
Titian  demanded  a  more  rigorous  punishment 
for  him. 

The  master  now  wrote  to  Philip,  telling  of  his 
latest  pictures,  and  saying,  "  In  these  pieces  I 
shall  put  all  the  knowledge  which  God  has  given 
me,  and  which  has  been,  and  ever  shall  be, 
dedicated  to  the  service  of  your  Majesty.  That 
you  will  continue  to  accept  this  service  so  long 
as  I  can  use  my  limbs,  borne  down  by  the  weight 
of  age,  I  hope."  Philip  answered  pleasantly, 
announcing  the  payment  of  the  delayed  pensions. 
In  September  the  pictures  were  forwarded,  with 


128  TITIAN. 

a  long  letter  professing  the  master's  gladness 
at  serving  a  prince  who  was  so  "  like  Alexander 
the  Great  in  all  parts  that  are  admirable  and 
worthy  of  praise."  These  pictures  were  "The 
Entombment,"  and  the  two  Dianas,  which  great- 
ly pleased  the  King.  The  Dianas  were  once 
presented  to  the  Crown-Prince  Charles  of  Eng- 
land;  and  again,  in  1704,  to  the  Maiquis  of 
Grammont.  They  were  bought  from  the  Orleans 
Gallery  for  $12,500,  and  are  now  in  the  Bridge- 
water  Collection,  at  London. 

"  Diana  and  Callisto "  shows  the  chaste  god- 
dess preparing  for  a  bath  in  a  sparkling  stream, 
with  her  huntresses  about  her,  while  two  nymphs 
bring  forward  the  unhappy  Callisto,  and  expose 
the  evidence  of  her  guilt.  Copies  of  this  picture 
by  the  master's  hand  are  now  at  Vienna,  in  the 
Roman  Academy  of  St.  Luke,  and  elsewhere. 
"  Diana  and  Action  "  exhibits  the  fair  huntress, 
clothed  only  with  her  diadem,  and  surprised 
while  bathing  by  the  young  Actaeon.  An  attend- 
ant negress  strives  to  cover  her  with  hastily 
seized  clothing ;  and  the  nymphs  are  trying  to 
conceal  themselves  from  ihe  rash  and  ill-fated 
gazer,  who  throws  up  his  hands  in  surprise,  and 
droDS  his  unstrin":ed  bow. 


I 


"  THE  entombment:'  129 

Having  satisfied  Philip's  sensual  nature  with 
the  Dianas,  it  was  necessary  for  Titian  to  cater 
also  to  his  singular  devoutness ;  and  he  painted 
"The  Entombment  of  Christ."  This  work  is  as 
superior  to  the  same  subject  executed  thirty 
/ears  before  in  realistic  effect  and  finished  ex- 
pression, as  it  is  inferior  in  coloring  and  chiaro 
scuro.  Several  careful  copies  were  made  by  the 
master,  one  of  which  was  presented  by  Venice 
to  the  Spanish  premier,  whence  it  passed  succes- 
sively to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  the  Austrian 
Archduke  Leopold  William,  and  the  Vienna 
Belvedere. 

These  latter  works  were  executed  in  Titian's 
eighty-second  year,  and  are  intensely  realistic 
and  exuberant,  though  without  the  mysterious 
sweetness  of  his  earlier  myth-paintings.  They 
were  finished  with  great  care,  grace,  and  chic, 
and  were  radiant  with  warm  summer  lights. 

The  master  made  frequent  visits  in  these  late 
years  to  his  favorite  villa  among  the  grassy  hills 
of  Ceneda,  where  he  had  abundant  opportunities 
to  study  the  Alps  and  the  grand  phenomena 
of  Nature,  and  prepare  his  dainty  landscape- 
backgrounds.     The  villa  was  sold  by  Pomponio, 


I30  TITIAN. 

and  is  now  occupied  by  tlie  Fabbrio  famii^ 
Near  by,  at  Serravalle,  Titian's  daughter  dwelt  -, 
and  her  father  made  a  portrait  of  her  as  a  young 
matron  with  child,  marking  the  contrast  of  life 
and  death  by  a  skull  in  the  foreground.  La- 
vinia's  house  still  stands,  and  retains  traces  of 
the  frescos  with  which  the  master  adorned  it. 
In  1559  Francesco  Vecelli  died  at  Cadore ;  and 
probably  his  loving-  brother  was  present  at  the 
funeral,  at  which  Vincenzo  delivered  a  Latin 
eulogy.  Tradition  says  that  in  Titian's  altar- 
piece  at  Pieve  di  Cadore  (most  of  which  was 
painted  by  Orazio),  the  St.  Andrew  has  the  face 
of  Francesco,  and  the  acolyte  is  a  portrait  of  the 
master  himself. 

In  the  autumn  Titian  challenged  a  comparison 
with  the  younger  artists,  by  painting  a  grand 
allegorical  figure  of  "  Wisdom,"  a  laurel-crowned 
and  half-recumbent  female  figure,  among  their 
choicest  works  in  the  new  Library.  Early  in 
1561  he  painted  a  portrait  of  the  famous  Irene 
of  Spilimberg,  who  had  been  one  of  his  pupils, 
and  died  at  the  are  of  twenty,  in  high  renown 
for  classical  learning,  poetical  inspiration,  and 
acquirements  in  music  and  art.    It  is  a  full-length 


CORNARO  PORTRAITS.  131 

of  life-size,  showing  a  beautiful  face  and  richly 
clad  figure.  He  also  prepared  a  companion- 
picture,  of  Irene's  sister  Emilia.  Subsequently 
he  painted  the  great  Cornaro  family-portrait, 
showing  three  senators  and  six  youths  of  that 
patrician  clan,  around  a  brown-stone  altar  on 
which  the  Eucharist  is  displayed.  In  1656  Al- 
gernon Percy,  Earl  of  Northumberland,  bought 
this  picture  from  Van  Dyck's  estate,  and  it  is 
now  at  Alnwick  Castle. 

Titian  wrote  to  Philip  II.,  asking  his  opinion 
of  the  Dianas,  and  offered  to  paint  the  victories 
of  Charles  V.,  for  which  he  seems  to  have  pre-' 
pared  a  set  of  designs.  He  also  sent  Philip  a 
picture  of  "The  Epiphany,"  which  is  now  at 
Madrid,  and  has  been  frequently  copied.  It  is 
a  picturesque  genre  composition,  showing  the 
Holy  Family  and  the  adoring  Magi,  with  officers 
and  riders,  and  a  train  of  horses  and  camels. 
In  1 56 1  Titian  complained  that  he  had  been 
forced  to  sacrifice  his  property,  on  account  of  the 
non-payment  of  his  pension  ;  and  the  Genoese 
treasurer  paid  him  2,200  ducats,  as  the  result  of 
the  King's  peremptory  order.  Philip  asked  the 
artist  to  send  him  a  picture  of  the   Magdalen; 


132  '    TITIAN. 

and  the  letter  of  the  Envoy  Hernandez  to  his 
sovereign  said  that  he  was  "working  slowly,  as 
is  natural  to  a  man  who  is  past  eighty,"  and  that 
he  was  growing  covetous.  Of  the  Magdalen  he 
wrote  that  "  Good  judges  in  art  say  that  this  is 
the  best  thing  Titian  has  done."  The  patrician 
Badoer  bought  this  picture  for  one  hundred' 
scudi,  and  the  master  made  a  copy  for  his  royal 
patron.  Both  these  have  now  disappeared,  but 
several  copies  remain,  showing  a  beautiful  and 
tearful  maiden,  with  a  skull,  a  book,  and  a  vase 
of  ointment. 

The  "Jupiter  and  Antiope  "  shows  the  god  in 
the  form  of  a  satyr,  lifting  the  covering  from  the 
white  and  rounded  figure  of  the  sleeping  Antiope, 
while  unobservant  fauns  and  nymphs  appear 
in  the  meadows,  amid  Cadorine  scenery.  This 
j^!v;v.'ing  work  was  given  by  Philip  IV.  to  Prince 
Charles  of  England,  and  is  now  in  the  Louvre. 

Early  in  1562  Titian  sent  to  Philip  the  "  Christ 
in  the  Garden,"  which  is  still  in  the  Escu- 
rial ;  and  "  Europa  and  the  Bull,"  which  passed 
through  the  Grammont,  Orleans,  and  Berwick 
Galleries,  to  that  of  the  Earl  of  Darnlcy.  He 
wrote  to  the  King,  saying,  "  I  had  determined  to 


"  EUROPAr  133 

take  a  rest  for  those  years  of  my  old  age  which 
it  may  please  the  majesty  of  God  to  grant  me ; 
still  ...  I  shall  devote  all  that  is  left  of  my  life 
to  doing  reverence  to  your  Catholic  Majesty  with 
new  pictures." 

The  "Christ  in  the  Garden"  somewhat  resem- 
bles Correggio's  picture  of  the  same  subject,  and 
shows  the  kneeling  Saviour,  and  the  angel  bear- 
ing the  cup  of  sorrows,  with  the  three  Apostles 
asleep  on  the  grass  near  by. 

Europa  is  a  lovely  and  scantily  clad  maiden 
sitting  on  the  back  of  a  flower-garlanded  white 
bull,  who  is  swimming  proudly  through  the  green 
sea,  throwing  a  line  of  foaming  surge  before  his 
breast.  In  the  air  are  flying  Cupids,  and  the 
nymphs  on  the  distant  shore  bewail  the  loss  of 
their  companion. 

Orazio  Vecelli  had  settled  the  estate  of  Fran- 
cesco, and  Vincenzo  was  now  retained  to  recover 
a  thousand  ducats  which  the  master  had  loaned 
to  the  commune  of  Cadore.  The  Milanese  pen- 
sion was  again  stopped  in  1563,  and  the  diplo- 
matic old  painter  painted  a  picture  of  Cardinal 
Gonzaga,  to  win  his  influence.  Somewhat  later 
be  painted  the  fine  portrait  of  himself  which  is 


134  TITIAN. 

now  at  Madrid,  with  a  strong  and  dignified  mien, 
brilliant  eyes,  and  snowy  hair  and  beard.  He 
also  executed  "  The  Crucifixion,"  now  at  Ancona ; 
and  a  picture  for  the  patrician  Guido's  new 
chapel  at  Ascoli,  showing  the  Saviour  imparting 
the  stigmata  to  St.  Francis,  with  Guido  kneeling 
below.  He  and  the  helpful  Orazio  also  painted 
for  the  lawyer  Crasso's  chapel  "  St.  Nicholas 
in  Cathedra,"  with  the  benevolent  gray-bearded 
bishop  sitting  in  a  cathedral  choir  ;  and  the  "  St. 
Jerome,"  now  in  the  Milan  Brera,  of  which  a 
replica  was  sent  to  Philip.  They  also  painted 
"The  Last  Supper,"  for  the  refectory  of  San 
Giovanni  e  Paolo,  which  was  destroyed  in  157 1, 
when  the  drunken  German  mercenaries  burnt  the 
monastery ;  and  "  The  Nativity,"  for  the  high 
altar  of  St.  Mark's,  which  was  burnt  by  flarnes 
from  the  altar-candles,  in  1580,  The  "Venus" 
of  St.  Petersburg  was  the  chiet  v/ork  of  the  year, 
and  was  several  times  duplicated.  It  shows  the 
broadly-modelled  and  carefully-finished  figure  of 
Venus  in  a  concentrated  light,  with  jewel-decked 
golden  hair  and  lustrous  dark  eyes,  and  sprightly 
Cupids  placing  garlands  upon  her. 

During  the  summer  the   Duke  of  Urbino  pur 


"  THE  LAST  supper:'  135 

chased  a  large  quantity  of  pine  lumber  of  Titian 
and  Oi'azio,  and  also  ordered  a  set  of  designs  for 
the  decoration  of  his  palace  at  Pesaro.  The 
?.rtist's  letters  to  Philip  II.  speak  of  his  work  on 
the  great  pictures  of  ''i  he  Twelve  Apostles " 
and  "  The  Last  Supper,"  and  ask  for  the  exercise 
of  "the  singular  benignity  and  clemency"  of  the 
King  to  renew  the  Neapolitan  and  Milanese  pen- 
sions. He  would  not  send  the  pictures  until  the 
pensions  were  paid,  and  the  treasurers  were  slow 
to  obey  the  royal  orders  to  forward  the  artist's 
dues.  The  Spanish  envoy  wrote  home  that 
*'  The  Last  Supper  "  was  "  a  marvel,  and  one  of 
the  best  things  that  Titian  has  done,"  adding 
that  the  artist  was  in  fine  condition,  notwithstand- 
ing his  great  age,  and  ready  to  do  any  thing  for 
money. 

The  Procurator  Michele,  with  Titian,  Tinto- 
retto, Veronese,  Schiavone,  and  Sansovino,  in- 
spected the  new  mosaics  of  St.  Mark,  and  caused 
their  imperfections  to  be  corrected  at  the  cost 
of  the  Zuccati  brothers,  their  makers.  These 
artists  were  Titiaij's  friends,  the  sons  of  his  first 
teacher  in  painting;  and  the  cartoons  for  their 
mosaics  had  been-deslgned  by  the  diligent  Orazio. 


136  TITIAN. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Religious  Paintings.  —  Vasari's  Visit.  —  Strada.  —  The  Vecelli 
Artists. — Unpaid  Pensions. — Death  of  Sansovino.  —  The 
Plague. —  Death  of  Titian. 

On  receipt  of  the  Milanese  pension,  "The 
Last  Supper "  was  forwarded  to  the  Escurial, 
where  the  monks  cut  it  down  to  fit  their  refectory- 
wall,  against  the  protests  of  Navarrete,  "  the 
Titian  of  Spain."  It  shows  a  vast  monumental 
hall  with  Christ  blessing  the  food,  and  the  Apos- 
tles earnestly  conversing  and  watching  Him  and 
Judas,  the  latter  of  whom  is  rising,  with  the  purse 
in  his  hand.  Seven  years  were  devoted  to  this 
great  work,  which  includes  thirteen  life-sized 
figure^,  splendidly  modelled  and  vigorously  exe- 
cuted. He  made  several  copies  of  it,  one  of 
which  was  finished  by  Stefano  Rosa,  the  kinsman 
of  his  old  gossip,  Cristoforo  Rosa  of  Brescia. 

In  the  summer  he  again  worried  Philip  because 
the  Milanese  pension  was  paid  in  warrants  for 
rice,  and   not   in   gold.     From    September   until 


«  THE  annunciation:'  137 

December  he  sojourned  at  Cadore,  with  his 
pupils  Cesare  Vecelli,  Valerio  Zuccati,  and  Em- 
anuel of  Augsburg,  and  planned  the  decoration 
of  the  village  church. 

Four  pictures  date  from  1565.  "The  Trans- 
iguration,"  painted  for  and  still  in  the  Venetian 
Church  of  San  Salvadore,  was  his  only  portrayal 
of  that  subject ;  and  shows  the  grand  figures  of 
Christ,  Moses  and  Elias  in  the  radiant  air,  with 
the  three  awe-stricken  Apostles  below.  "The 
Annunciation,"  in  the  same  church,  portrays  the 
pure  fape  of  the  Virgin  swept  with  surprise  and 
gathering  fortitude,  as  she  gazes  at  the  descend- 
ing archangel,  while  above  her  is  the  Dove,  sur- 
rounded by  joyful  cherubim.  This  radiant  work 
was  ill  received  by  the  purchasers  ;  and  the  vexed 
artist  answered  their  doubts  by  dashing  in  on 
the  foreground  the  emphatic  reiteration,  Titianus 
Fecit  Fecit.  "  St.  James  of  Compostella  "  is  the 
subject  of  another  noble  picture,  in  the  Church 
of  San  Leo,  with  the  tender  face  of  the  weary 
pilgrim  upturned  to  receive  the  ray  from  heaven. 
The  "  Venus  and  Cupid,"  in  the  Borghese  Palace, 
shows  the  white-armed  goddess,  rich  in  luxuriant 
hair,  blindfolding  the  graceful  Cupid,  while  at- 
tendant nymphs  hold  his  bow  and   quiver. 


r38  TITIAN. 

In  the  winter  Titian  worked  on  the  pictures  foi 
the  new  municipal  palace  of  Brescia,  and  superin- 
tended Boldrini  and  Cort  in  their  engraving  of 
certain  of  his  most  popular  works.  He  secured 
from  the  Council  of  Ten  a  monopoly  of  these 
prints,  and  manufactured  and  sent  them  abroad 
in  large  numbers.  In  May  he  was  yisited  by 
Vasari,  on  a  tour  from  Rome,  who  wrote  that 
"  Titian  has  enjoyed  health  and  happiness  un- 
equalled, and  has  never  received  from  heaven 
any  thing  but  favor  and  felicity.  His  house  has 
been  visited  by  all  the  princes,  men  of  letters, 
and  gentlemen  who  ever  come  to  Venice.  Be- 
sides being  excellent  in  art,  he  is  pleasant  com- 
pany, of  fine  deportment,  and  agreeable  manners. 
.  .  .  Titian,  having  decorated  Venice,  and,  in- 
deed, Italy  and  other  parts  of  the  world,  with 
admirable  pictures,  deserves  to  be  loved  and 
studied  by  artists,  as  one  who  has  done  and  is 
stni  doing  works  deserving  of  praise,  which  will 
last  as  long  as  the  memory  of  illustrious  men." 
Vasari  was  cordially  welcomed  to  the  studio,  and 
gave  a  list  of  its  paintings,  including  several 
which  have  disappeared.  Among  them  was  the 
obscure   allegory  now  at   the    Bofghese    Palace, 


TITIAN'S  PROPERTY.  139 

showing  Minerva  by  the  sea-side,  with  a  shield 
and  a  red  banner,  and  attended  by  a  sword-bear- 
ing woman,  while  before  her  kneels  a  nude  female 
figure,  near  a  coil  of  serpents,  an  overturned 
chalice,  and  the  wafer  of  the  Eucharist.  Another 
allegorical  work,  now  at  Madrid,  depicts  a  god- 
dess and  a  band  of  female  warriors  on  the  beach  , 
while  on  the  outer  sea  a  Turk  flies  before  Chris- 
tian galleys. 

In  the  autumn  of  1566,  Titian,  Tintoretto, 
Veronese,  Palladio,  Salviati,  and  Cattaneo  were 
elected  members  of  the  Tuscan  Academy  of 
Painting,  at  Florence. 

Titian's  exemption  from  taxation  was  with- 
drawn in  1566,  and  he  was  obliged  to  give  a  list 
of  his  property,  which  included  the  Vecelli  cot- 
tage at  Cadore,  with  several  fields  in  the  Vale, 
two  sawmills  and  a  meadow  at  Ansogne,  a  field 
and  cottage  at  Col  di  Manza,  eighteen  fields  at 
Milare,  a  mortgage,  two  fields  and  two  houses  at 
Serravalle,  and  a  cottage  at  Conegliano.  Con- 
cealing his  revenues  from  the  brokership,  the 
pensions,  the  lumber-business,  his  rich  picture- 
contracts,  and  dealings  with  the  antiquaries,  he 
stated    his   annual    income    at    loi    ducats,    and 


I40  TITIAN. 

calmly  spoke  of  "the  smallness  of  his  receipts, 
and  the  difficulty  of  maintaining  his  family." 

Titian  next  painted  a  clever  portrait  of  the 
Antiquary  Strada,  now  in  the  Belvedere,  showing 
an  aged  gentleman  in  red  doublet,  near  a  book- 
laden  console  and  a  table  strewn  with  antiques. 
Strada  was  the  chief  of  the  versatile  agents  who 
\yere  gathering  antiques  and  works  of  art  from 
decadent  Italian  families,  and  selling  them  to 
the  transalpine  sovereigns.  He  had  received 
from  the  Emperor  the  title  of  "  Caesarian  Anti- 
quary," with  the  rank  of  Aulic  Councillor,  and 
was  in  close  connection  with  the  munificent 
Fugger  family.  When  Strada  removed  to  Mu- 
nich, he  was  succeeded  by  Stoppio,  who  was  on 
intimate  terms  with  Titian,  and  repelled  Max 
Fugger's  impeachment  of  his  skill  as  a  connois- 
seur by  appealing  to  the  great  Venetian. 

The  master  had  frequent  dealings  with  these 
antiquaries.  On  one  occasion  he  received  a 
precious  casket  of  silver-gilt  and  crystal,  from 
the  Papal  Chamberlain  Scrpa,  to  be  turned  into 
ready  money.  The  Venetian  Government  of- 
fered twelve  hundred  crowns  for  it ;  but  the  Duke 
of  Bavaria  secured  it  for  one  thousand  ducats. 


TITIAN'S  PUPILS.  141 

In  1567  Tihan's  pupils  frescoed  the  Cadore 
church  with  their  master's  designs  of  the  Annun- 
ciation, Nativity,  and  Assumption,  with  eight 
prophets  and  four  evangelists.  The  church  was 
destroyed  in  18 13.  The  commune  paid  for  the 
frescos  with  lumber,  which  probably  went  to 
Orazio  Vecelli's  lumber-yard,  in  the  Zattere  quar- 
ter of  Venice.  Orazio  was  of  material  service  to 
his  father  as  a  business,  manager  and  general 
agent  of  affairs.  He  was  a  busy  worker  in  the 
studio,  where  he  had  received  careful  instruction 
for  many  years ;  but  lacked  genius,  and  hence 
attained  only  a  certain  manual  dexterity.  Vasari 
eulogizes  him  as  a  portrait-painter,  but  very  few 
of  his  works  remain  to  attest  his  skill. 

Cesare  and  Marco  Vecelli  were  relatives  and 
assistants  of  Titian.  Cesare  went  to  Augsburg 
with  the  master,  in  his  twenty-seventh  year,  and 
afterwards  lived  permanently  at  the  Casa  Grande, 
and  prepared  many  pictures  for  the  churches  of 
Northern  Italy.  He  was  an  enterprising,  skilful, 
and  shallow  painter,  whose  relation  to  Titian  has 
been  likened  to  Giulio  Romano's  to  Raphael.  His 
son  Fabrizio  was  also  educated  in  the  studio  of 
Titian,  together  with  Girolamo  di  Tiziauo,  another 


142  TITIAN. 

relative  who  lived  at  the  Casa  Grande.  Marco 
Vecelli,  the  son  of  Titian's  favorite  cousin,  en- 
tered the  studio  in  the  master's  old  age,  when  he 
aided  on  numerous  pictures,  and  executed  many 
mediocre  works  of  his  own.  His  son  Tizianello 
and  his  nephew  Tommaso  WM"e  the  last  and  least 
artists  of  the  Vecelli  family,  and  were  living  when 
the  Pilgrims  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock. 

The  gay  and  dissipated  Pomponio  still  led  a 
wandering  and  luxurious  life,  nourished  by  his 
Lombard  canonry,  and  occasionally  staying  for 
long  periods  at  his  father's  house,  causing  no 
little  trouble  to  the  studio-family.  Although  a 
professional  ecclesiastic,  he  never  performed 
priestly  duties,  and  yet  he  was  once  offered  a 
bishopric. 

Several  pictures  were  sent  to  Pesaro  and 
Urbino  during  this  last  decade,  the  two  best  of 
which  are  now  at  San  Francesco  di  Paola,  in 
Urbino.  "  The  Resurrection  "  shows  Christ 
rising  on  a  cloud,  while  one  of  the  guards  at 
the  empty  tomb  shades  his  eyes  from  the  celes- 
tial light,  another  grasps  his  lance,  and  two  more 
are  still  asleep.  "  The  Last  Supper  "  has  been 
fatally  injured  by  washing,  and  is  nearly  obliter 


PICTURES  FOR  SPAIN.  143 

ated.  It  portrays  a  square  table,  in  an  open- 
arched  cloister,  around  which  the  Saviour  and 
the  Apostles  sit  in  groups  of  threes.  Two  small 
panel-pictures  of  this  period,  representing  "  The 
Nativity,"  are  now  at  Florence  and  Oxford. 

Titian  was  now  ninety  years  old ;  but  he  had 
not  grown  dull  to  the  interests  of  his  family, 
nor  forgotten  the  arts  of  extracting  money  from 
obdurate  patrons.  He  suddenly  opened  a  fusil- 
lade of  letters  on  his  ancient  and  well-ni2:h- 
forgotten  friend,  Cardinal  Farnese,  imploring 
his  intercession  that  Pomponio  might  get  his 
pension  from  his  Imperial  grants  in  Spain.  The 
Cardinal's  kind  answer  called  forth  fresh  letters, 
with  gifts  of  pictures  to  him  and  the  Pope,  and 
prayers  for  acknowledgment  and  consolation. 
At  the  same  time  the  venerable  artist  was  press- 
ing the  Duke  of  Urbino  for  payment  of  other 
claims.  Early  in  1568  he  sent  to  Philip  II.  a 
"  Nude  Venus,"  which  has  perished,  and  "  The 
Martyrdom  of  St.  Lawrence,"  still  in  the  Escu- 
rial,  blackened  by  altar-smoke.  The  latter  was 
ordered  for  the  superb  convent  which  Philip 
was  building  to  commemorate  his  victory  at  St. 
Quentin,  on  St.  Lawrence's  Day,   1557. 


144  TITIAN. 

The  Brescian  deputies  had  ordered  three  pic- 
tures for  their  town-hall,  showing  Ceres  and 
Bacchus,  Vulcan  and  Cyclops,  and  Brescia  as  a 
serene  and  lovely  goddess  ;  but  when  they  were 
done  the  citizens  refused  to  pay  the  full  price, 
and  the  bishop  and  referees  justified  them.  The 
Brescians  were  not  far  from  right  when  they 
declined  to  consider  their  municipal  pictures  as 
Titian's  work,  for  they  were  mostly  executed  by 
his  assistants.  He  was  now  too  old  for  such 
undertakings;  and  knew  it,  so  that  when  offering 
to  illustrate  the  life  of  St.  Lawrence  for  Philip 
II.,  he  professed  plainly  that  he  should  use  his 
assistants.  A  subsequent  letter  to  Philip,  accom- 
panying a  poor  picture  of  "  Christ  and  the  Trib- 
ute Money,"  harps  on  the  worn-out  theme  of  the 
unpaid  Neapolitan  grants. 

The  life  of  the  master  was  from  this  time 
more  quiet  and  restful ;  and  he  began  to  arrange 
his  private  affairs  as  if  he  were  soon  to  depart, 
concentrating  his  emoluments  on  Orazio,  to 
whom  he  had  his  broker's  patent  and  Milanese 
pension  transferred.  Orazio's  lumber-yard  at  the 
Zattere  was  now  very  lucrative,  and  the  com 
mune  of  Murano  drew  all  its  supplies  from  him. 


BATTLE  OF  LE PA MTO.  145 

In  1570  Titian  suffered  a  severe  shock  in  the 
death  of  his  fellow-triumvir,  Sansovino,  who 
died  at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety-one,  while  Venice 
was  in  her  extremest  peril.  Her  beach  was 
lined  with  batteries,  and  her  channels  were 
blockaded  with  sunken  ships ;  for  the  hostile 
Turkish  fleet,  which  had  captured  Cyprus  and 
the  Adriatic  ports,  was  menacing  the  city  itself. 

Titian  still  urged  the  payment  of  the  pensions ; 
yet  Philip  sent  him  neither  money  nor  orders, 
finding  pressing  need  of  his  time  and  money 
against  unfriendly  France,  the  seething  Nether- 
lands, and  menacing  Turkey.  But  the  superan- 
nuated artist  still  fought  for  his  rights,  reminding 
the  King  that  he  had  paid  him  nothing  for  the 
work  done  during  eighteen  years.  He  sent  him 
fresh  pictures,  including  the  large  and  sensuous 
"  Tarquin  and  Lucretia,"  which  has  since  been 
owned  by  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  King  Charles  I., 
Louis  XIV.,  Joseph  Bonaparte,  and  Sir  Richard 
Wallace. 

In  mid-winter  of  157 1,  Don  John  of  Austria, 
with  two  hundred  war-ships  of  the  Holy  League, 
destroyed  the  great  Turkish  armada  in  the  Gulf 
of  Lepanto  ;  and  exultant  Venice  celebrated  the 


146  TITIAN. 

victory  with  Te  Deums  and  fireworks.  She  or- 
dered Titian  to  delineate  the  battle-scene  in  the 
Doges'  Palace ;  but  he  declined,  and  Tintoretto 
secured  the  richly  rewarded  commission.  Philip 
II.  sent  him  a  design  by  Sanchez  Coello,  to  be 
painted  as  a  companion-piece  to  Charles  V.'s 
equestrian  portrait;  but  the  master  answered  that 
while  Spain  had  such  artists  as  Coello,  she  need 
not  patronize  foreigners.  Philip  insisted  that  he 
should  do  the  work,  upon  which  he  painted  the 
spirited  picture  now  at  Madrid,  showing  the  ar- 
mor-clad King  holding  his  babe  towards  a  crown- 
bearing  angel,  while  a  bound  Turk,  with  his  star 
and  crescent  flag,  kneels  at  the  foot  of  the  altar. 
At  the  same  time,  the  master  painted  for  him- 
self "  Christ  Crowned  with  Thorns,"  a  powerful 
and  richly-colored  work,  which  Tintoretto  begged 
of  its  author,  and  hung  in  his  studio  as  a  model. 
Rubens,  Rembrandt,  and  Van  Dyck  afterwaids 
earnestly  studied  this  masterpiece,  which  now 
adorns  the  Munich  Gallery. 

Titian  still  retained  a  high  degree  of  vigor  and 
health,  with  his  ancient  enterprise  and  heartiness, 
and  kept  his  studio  filled  with  noble  paintings, 
where   he  was  often  visited  by  eminent  princes 


THE  PLAGUE.  147 

and  prelates.  When  Cardinal  Granvelle  and 
Pacheco  invited  themselves  to  dine  at  the  Casa 
Grande,  he  flung  a  purse  to  his  steward,  and 
bade  him  prepare  a  feast,  since  "  all  the  world 
was  dining  with  him."  When  Henri  HI,  of 
France  was  received  with  royal  pomp  by  the 
Venetian  Republic,  he  visited  the  studio ;  and 
the  delighted  artist  presented  him  with  all  the 
pictures  of  which  he  asked  the  price. 

In  1574  he  addressed  the  Spanish  prime  minis- 
ter, rehearsing  his  grievances  about  the  pensions ; 
and  Coello  made  a  list  of  his  pictures  in  the 
King's  possession.  This  artist  had  visited  and 
learned  to  love  the  venerable  master.  About  this 
date  he  painted  "  Adam  and  Eve,"  now  at  Ma- 
drid, where  Ruben's  copied  it ;  and  an  "  Eve,"  for 
which  Tintoretto  painted  an  "Adam,"  with  a 
background  by  Pozzo,  and  animals  by  Bassano. 
In  the  winter  of  1575-6,  Titian  wrote  two  letters 
to  Philip,  boasting  of  his  great  age,  yet  appealing 
to  the  royal  justice  for  resources  for  many  years 
to  come. 

But  the  feu  City  of  the  Sea  was  now  crushed 
under  a  terrible  affliction.  The  plague  had 
broken  out   in    1575  ;  and    its  ravages  soon  in- 


148  TITIA17. 

creased  so  that  a  general  panic  ensued,  and  all 
who  could  fled  to  the  mainhmd.  The  sick  were 
deserted,  no  matter  what  their  malady ;  and  even 
family  ties  were  powerless  before  the  general 
dread  of  contagion.  The  Government  estab- 
lished hospitals  on  the  outer  islands,  and  ordered 
the  destruction  of  infected  furniture  and  clothing. 
At  last  it  resolved  to  build  a  votive  church  to  the 
Redeemer;  upon  which  the  plague  was  stayed, 
though  fifty  thousand  persons  had  died,  out  of  a 
population  of  a  hundred  and  ninety  thousand. 

Titian  bargained  for  a  grave  in  the  Chapel  of 
the  Crucified  Saviour,  in  the  Frari  Church,  and 
then  set  to  work  on  "  The  Christ  of  Pity,"  his 
latest  and  one  of  his  noblest  works.  It  was 
finished  with  pious  care  by  Palma  Giovine,  who 
inscribed  upon  it  the  words,  Quod  Titianus  in- 
choatum  reliquit,  Palma  reverenter  absolvit  Deoq. 
dicavit  opus.  The  dead  Saviour  is  seen  in  the 
lap  of  the  Virgin,  with  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
looking  into  His  face,  and  the  wailing  Magdalen 
approaching,  while  a  niche  in  the  background 
contains  seven  lamps  of  crystal  and  statues  of 
Moses  and  the  Hellespontic  Sibyl.  On  a  tablet 
below  ^re   portraits    of   the  kneeling  Titian  and 


DEATH  OF  TITIAN.  149 

Orazio.  This  closing  work  of  the  grand  artistic 
century  is  distinguished  for  profound  powe'-  and 
tragic  realism,  with  unequalled  modelling  and 
readiness  of  hand. 

The  plague  now  reached  the  villa  of  Casa 
Grande  ;  and  Titian  expired  suddenly,  on  the  27th 
of  August,  1576.  The  Government  and  citizens 
were  soon  apprised  of  their  great  loss,  and  Venice 
was  plunged  into  even  deeper  mourning.  The 
law  that  victims  of  the  plague  should  not  be 
buried  in  the  city  churches  was  set  aside,  and  the 
canons  of  St.  Mark  bore  the  artist's  body  in 
solemn  procession  to  the  new  grave  in  the 
Church  of  the  Frari.  In  1852  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  erected  a  vast  and  magnificent  mauso- 
leum over  this  sacred  tomb. 

Orazio  Vecelli  was  carried  off  by  the  pestilence 
at  about  the  same  time  as  his  father,  and  died  in 
the  Old  Lazzaretto.  The  desolate  villa  of  Casa 
Grande  was  entered  by  marauders,  and  shame- 
fully plundered.  When  Pomponio  took  posses- 
sion of  the  place,  he  found  numerous  valuable 
paintings  in  the  studio,  in  various  stages  of 
completion. 


150  TITIAN. 

"  In  every  thing  Titian's  art  was  similar  to 
nature.  Milk  feeds  his  babes ;  he  weaves  the 
stuffs  ;  his  animals  have  but  just  issued  from  the 
ark ;  and  his  joy  and  grief  are  alike  infectious. 
So  long  as  Nature  lives,  Titian  will  also  live. 
He  is  the  very  mirror  of  Nature,  only  that  the 
mirror  reflects  whilst  Titian  creates."  — Boschini. 

"  Nature  surrendered  to  Titian,  and  took  its 
laws  from  his  pencil."  —  Ridolfi. 

"All  that  Titian's  figures  want  is  a  voice;  in 
all  else  they  are  Nature  itself."  —  Biondo. 

"  In  imitating  Nature,  Titian  was  unsurpassed." 
—  Armenmo. 

"  Three  lives  has  Titian,  —  one  natural,  one 
artificial,  the  third  eternal."  —  Pino. 


TITIAN'S  PAINTINGS.  151 


A  LIST  OF  TITIAN'S  PAINTINGS  NOW  IN  EX- 
ISTENCE, WITH  THEIR  DATES  OF  EXECU- 
TION, AND   PRESENT   LOCATIONS. 

♦#*  Tiie  interrogation  pobtt  after  a  title  signifies  that  tJie  picture  is 
regarded  as  utiautluntic  by  two  or  tnore  critics,  ivhile  others  accept 
its  genuifteness. 

ITALY. 

Venice. —  The  Academy,  —  The  Assumption,  1518;  the 
Visitation;  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple,  1540;  Piet^. ; 
St.  John  in  the  Desert,  1555  ;  Jacopo  Soranzo,  1522 ;  Antonio 
Capello,  1523;  Prime  di  Lezze;  Nineteen  Panels,  showing 
Cherubs  and  Evangelical  symbols.  Doges'  Palace,  —  SL 
Christopher  (fresco),  1523;  Madonna  (fresco);  the  Doge 
Grimani  and  Faith,  1555.  Mocenigo  Palace,  —  The  Saviour's 
Blessing.  Casti  Morosini-Gattersbiirg,  —  The  Doge  Gri- 
mani. TTie  Library,  —  Wisdom  (fresco),  1559.  Nardi  Col- 
lection,—  Pietro  Bembo,  1537.  Signor  Galeazzi,  —  St. 
John.  Salute  Church,  —  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  eight 
medallions  of  the  Fathers  and  Evangelists,  Cain  and  Abel, 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  David  and  Goliath,  all  done  in  1542-43  ; 
and  St.  Mark  and  four  Saints,  151 2.  St.  Salvadore  Church,  — 
The  Transfiguration ;  the  Annunciation,  1 565.  St.  Sebas- 
tian, —  St.  Nicholas,  1 563.  St.  Marciliano,  —  The  Angel 
and  Tobit,  1540.  San  Leo,  —  St.  James  of  Compostella, 
1565.  St.  Giovanni  Eleemosinario,  —  St.  John  the  Alms- 
giver,  1533  Cesiiiti,  —  Martyrdom  of  St.  Lavvrence,  1558. 
Evatigelical  Church,  —  The  Redeemer  (?).  Frari  Church,  — 
The  Pesaro  Madonna.  Scuola  di  San  Rocco,  —  Ecce  Homo, 
before  1500;  the  Annunciation,  1524;  Christ  Bearing  the 
Cross,  before  1517. 


152  TITIAN. 

Padua.  —  Gmstiniatii  Collection^  —  Dnj^e  Grimani,  1522 ; 
Doge  Gritti,  1523-S;  Philip  II.,  1550;  Francis  I.,  1533; 
Pietio  Aretino,  1527.  Barbarigo  Palace,  —  Doge  Barbarigo. 
Scuola  del  SantOy  —  Three  frescos  of  scenes  in  the  Life  of 
St.  Anthony.     Carmini  Church,  —  Sts.  Joachim  and  Anna. 

Veroxa.  —  Pinacoteca,  —  Homage  to  Venice.  Aluseo 
Civico,  —  Madonna.  Cathedral,  —  Assumption,  1543.  Tre- 
viso  Cathedral, — Annunciation,  1518.  Loreto,  Royal  Pal- 
ace, —  The  Woman  taken  in  Adultery.  Urbino,  Chur  k  of 
S.  Fra7icesco  di  Paola,  —  The  Resurrection,  and  the  Last 
Supper,  late  works.  Aquila,  Palace  Torres, —  The  Eucharist. 
Ascoli,  —  Vision  of  St.  Francis,  1 563.  Brescia,  Sts.  Nazaro 
e  Celso,  —  The  Resurrection,  1 522.  Parma,  Farnese  Palace,  — 
Head  of  Christ.  Modena,  Ducal  Palace,  —  "  La  Moretta." 
Fano,  —  Count  of  Montevecchio.  Lorvere,  Tadini  Palace,  — 
Gabriel  Tadino.  Bergamo,  —  Lady's  Portrait.  Zoppi 
Church,  —  Madonna,  1527.  Mel  Church,  —  St.  Andrew. 
Belluno,  —  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  Candide. —  Madonna. 
Vitiigo,  —  Madonna.  Medole,  —  Christ  Appearing  to  Mary, 
1 554.  Cadore,  —  Madonna.  Serravalle  Church,  —  Madonna ; 
also  fresco  in  the  Casa  Carneliiitti.  Ancona,  San  Domenico 
Church, — Madonna,  1520;  Crucifixion,  1563.  Maniago, — 
Irene  of  Spilimberg  and  her  sister  Emilia,  1560. 

Milan.  —  Brera  Gallery, —  St.  Jerome,  1563.  Ambro- 
si%na,  —  Epiphany  ;  Deposition  (?) ;  Hospital,  —  Portrait  of 
Rezzonico,  1558. 

Genoa.  —  Balbi  Palace, —  St.  Jerome.  Durazzo  Palace, 
—  Magdalen,  1560. 

Florence. — Pitli  Palace,  —  The  Saviour;  the  Nativity, 
'567  (?) ;  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine  ;  Magdalen ;  La  Bella  di 


TITIAN'S  Paintings.  153 

Tiziano,  1533;  Tommaso  Mosti,  1524-6;  IppoHto  de'  Me- 
dici, 1533;  Luigi  Cornaro(?);  Philip  II.,  1553;  the  Doge 
Gritd;  the  Surgeon  Vesalius,  1560;  Pietro  Aretino,  1545; 
Alfonso  of  Ferrara  (?).  Uffizi  Gallery,  —  Madonna,  1511; 
three  doubtful  Madonnas ;  Flora,  1520 ;  Venus,  1533 ;  Venus, 
in  replica ;  Venus  and  Cupid,  1547  ;  Battle  of  Cadore,  1537  ; 
Duke  of  Urbino,  1537;  the  Duchess,  1537;  Catherine  Cor- 
naro,  1542 ;  Titian  ;  Giovanni  de'  Medici ;  the  Legate  Becca- 
delli,  1552;  Sansovino.  Strozzi  Palace,  —  Robert  Strozzi's 
Daughter,  1541. 

Rome.  —  Barberi7ii  Palace,  —  Cardinal  Bembo.  Borghese 
Palace,  —  Sacred  and  Profane  Love,  1500;  Cupid  Equipped 
by  Venus;  Allegory,  1566;  Samson;  St.  Dominick ;  and 
several  doubtful.  Capitol,  —  Three  doubtful  pictures.  Co- 
loftna  Palace, —  Portrait  of  Panvinius,  1550.  Corsini  Palace, 
—  Cardinal  Farnese,  1543;  Philip  II.;  and  five  unauthentic 
pictures.  Doria  Palace,  —  Three  Ages ;  Magdalen ;  Alle- 
gory ;  Man's  Portrait ;  Jansenius  ;  and  seven  contested  pic- 
tures. St.  Luke''s  Academy,  —  Diana  and  Callisto  (there  are 
seven  so-called  Titians  in  the  Academy,  all  of  which  are  re- 
pudiated by  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle).  Sciarra-Colonna 
Palace,  —  Madonna ;  La  Bella  di  Tiziano ;  Portrait.  Spada 
Palace,  —  The  six  so=-called  Titians  here  are  rejected  by 
Cavalcaselle.  Vatican  Palace,  —  The  Doge  Marcello,  1 505-8 ; 
Madonna  and  Saints,  1523. 

Naples.  —  The  Museum,  —  Charles  V.,  1549 ;  Philip  II., 
'553  >  P^'^^  m*  ('w  portraits),  1543;  Cardinal  Farnese, 
1543;  Dukeof  Castro,  1543;  Pier  Luigi  Farnese,  1 546 ;  Paul 
HI.  and  his  Grandsons,  1545;  Magdalen,  1567  ;  Jupiter  auj 
Oanae,  1545. 


154  TITIAN. 

SPAIN. 

Madrid  Royal  Museum,  —  Ecce  Homo,  1547  ;  Christ  Ap- 
pearing to  the  Magdalen,  1554;  the  Trinity,  1554;  the 
Epiphany,  156a;  the  Entombment,  1559;  Christ  Bearing  the 
Cross;  Ecce  Homo;  the  Virgin's  Repose,  1569;  St  Mar- 
garet, 1552;  Salome  and  the  Head  of  John ;  Adam  and  Eve, 
1574;  Madonna  and  St.  Bridget,  150S-11;  the  Grieving  Vir- 
gin, 1554;  Mater  Dolorosa,  1550;  Allegory;  Venus  and 
Cupid,  1547 ;  Venus  and  Adonis,  1554  ;  Venus,  1547  ;  Venus- 
Worship,  before  1518;  Danae,  1554;  two  Bacchanals,  of 
1519-20;  Sisyphus  and  Prometheus  (?) ;  Portrait  of  Charles 
v.,  1533;  Charles  V.,  154S;  the  Empress,  1544;  Philip 
II.,  1550;  Philip  II.  Presenting  his  Son  to  an  Angel,  1574; 
Alfonso  d'Este  ;  the  Marquis  of  Guasto,  1541 ;  Titian,  1563; 
a  Knight  of  Malta. 

Escurial  Palace,  —  Christ  in  the  Garden,  1562;  the  Last 
Supper,  1564;  the  Virgin's  Repose,  1530;  St.  John  in  the 
Desert,  1556;  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  EawTence,  1568. 

FRANCE. 

TTie  Louvre,  —  Christ  at  Emmaus,  1547  ;  Christ  Derided, 
1558;  Christ  a  Captive  (.'') ;  the  Entombment,  1523;  Ma- 
dorma  and  Saints,  1 508-1 1 ;  Madonna  and  Saints  ;  Madonna 
del  Coniglio,  1530;  the  Virgin's  Repose,  1536;  St.  Jerome, 
1 531 ;  Jupiter  and  Antiope,  1562 ;  Girl  and  Man  with  Mirror, 
1523;  Francis  I.,  1533;  Marquis  of  Guasto  and  Wife, 
1533  ;  Cardinal  de'  Medici,  1533  ;  Man's  Portrait;  L'Homme 
au  Gant.  Sir  Richard  Wallace,  —  Tarquin  and  Lucretia. 
1570. 
Besatifon  Museum,  —  Cardinal  Granvelle,  154S.      Nimes 


TITIAN'S  PAINTINGS.  155 

Maison   Carrie,  —  John  ■  the    Baptist.      Rouen   Museum,  — 

Man's  Portrait. 

GERMANY. 

Berlin  Museum,  —  Titian ;  Lavinia,  1 549.  Seven  other 
pictures  here,  claimed  as  Titians  in  the  catalogue,  are 
rejected  by  modem  connoisseurs.  Cassel,  —  Lavinia ;  Lady's 
Portrait;  Cleopatra  (and  three  others  held  as  doubtful). 
Potsdam, —  Christ  at  Emmaus.  Hanover, — Two  portraits 
(?).     Mayence,  —  Bacchanal  (?). 

Stuttgart,  —  Three  Madonnas,  St.  Jerome,  the  Magdalen, 
Shepherds,  and  a  Young  Man,  all  of  which  are  repudiated  by 
Cavalcaselle.  Darmstadt,  —  Sleeping  Venus,  1523;  Por- 
trait (?). 

Dresden,  —  Christ  and  the  Tribute-Money,  150S-11; 
Lavinia,  1546 ;  Madonna  and  Saints ;  Venus  and  Cupid,  1563 ; 
Lavinia,  1558;  Man's  Portrait,  1561;  and  four  portraits  and 
two  other  pictures  which  are  doubtful. 

Munich, — Two  Madonnas,  1522  and  later;  Ecce  Homo, 
1574;  Charles  V.,  154S;  Man's  Portrait;  Jupiter  and  Anti- 
ope ;  and  five  so-called  but  unverified  Titians. 

AUSTRIA. 
Vienna.  -  Belvedere  Gallery,  —  Three  Madonnas,  all  be- 
fore 1 51 1 ;  Ecce  Homo,  1 543  ;  Christ  and  the  Adulteress ;  En- 
tombment, 1559;  St.  James  the  Elder,  1542;  St.  Catherine, 
1568  ;  two  Allegories,  1533  ;  Danae,  1554 ;  Venus  and  Cupid 
(replica);  Diana  and  Callisto,  1559;  Suicide  of  Lucretia; 
Charles  V.  (?) ;  Elector  of  Saxony,  154S;  two  Portraits  of 
Titian;  Vesalius;  Salvaresio,  155S;  the  Antiquary  Strada, 
566;  Titian's  Doctor;  Philip  Strozzi,  1540;  Benedetto 
V'archi,  1550;  Ranuccio  Famese,  1542;    Titian's  Mistress. 


156  '  TITIAN. 

1533;  Isabella  d'Este,  1533;  and  ten  doubtful  or  unautlien- 

ticated  pictures.  Academy  of  Arts,  —  Winged  Cupid.  Sterne 
Collection,  —  Doge  Trevisani.  Rosetibtrg  Collection,  —  Doge 
Grimani.  Ilarrach  Palace,  —  St.  Sebastian ;  Madonna  (?). 
Lichtenstein  Palace,  —  Battle  Piece ;  Madonna  (?).  Czernin 
Palace,  —  Magdalen,  Duke  of  Ferrara,  and  Doge  Venieri 
(all  three  doubted  by  Cavalcaselle). 

Pesth  Academy,  —  Pietro  Bembo.  Trent,  —  Cardinal 
Madruzzi.  Gratz  Gallery,  —  Bathsheba  Bathing.  Prague,  — 
Five  portraits  in  the  Kunstverein  and  the  Sternberg  and 
Nostitz  Palaces,  none  of  which  are  accepted  by  Crowe  and 
Cavalcaselle,  though  certain  other  critics  affirm  them. 

NORTHERN  EUROPE. 
Antwerp  Musetivi,  —  The  Pope  Presenting  the  Bishop  of 
Paphos  to  the  Virgin,  1501.  Rotterdam  Museum,  —  Woman 
and  Satyr.  Brussels  Mtisaim, —  Two  doubtful  pictures. 
Stockholm  Royal  Palace,-. —  Cleopatra,  Don  Carlos,  Duke  of 
Urbino,  Duchess  of  Ferrara,  all  doubted  by  modem  critics. 

RUSSIA. 
Hermitage  Palace,  —  Christ  Bearing  the  Cross;  Christ  in 
Benediction  ;  Madonna  and  Magdalen  ;  Christ  Holding  the 
Orb  (?) ;  Magdalen,  1560;  Ecce  Homo;  Madonna;  St. 
Sebastian;  Danae;  Pope  Paul  HI.,  1543;  Venus  and 
Cupids,  1563;  Cardinal  Pallavicini,  1545;  Titian's  Mis- 
tress, 1533;  and  portraits  of  Lavinia,  Isabella  d'Este,  and 
the  Doge  Gritti,  held  as  uncertain  by  Cavalcaselle.  The 
same  authority  declines  to  indorse  the  portrait  and  two  Ma- 
donnas in  the  Leuchtemberg  collection,  and  also  Lazarew's 
Ecce  Homo  and  Count  Stroganoff's  Weeping  Virgin. 


TITIAN'S   PAINTINGS.  157 

ENGLAND. 

N'ational  Gallery,  —  Noli  me  Tangere,  1518 ;  Bacchus  and 
Ariadne,  1523;  Venus  and  Adonis ;  Christ  and  the  Pharisee, 
156S;  the  Holy  Family;  Ariosto,  1518;  the  Virgin's  Re- 
pose, 151S;  Madonna  and  Saints;  Rape  of  Ganymede. 
Mrs.  Butler-Johnstone,  —  St.  Jerome,  Madonna,  Epiphany, 
Ariosto,  and  Venus,  all  doubted  by  Cavalcaselle.  The  late 
Northwick  Collection  contained  a  Vitellius,  Vespasian,  Paul 
III.,  three  portraits,  Danae,  Madonna,  St.  Jerome,  and  Philip 
II.,  of  which  all  save  the  first  are  uncertified,  and  the  last 
three  are  rejected  by  Cavalcaselle.  Bridgewater  Gallery, — 
The  Three  Ages,  1518;  Venus  Anadyomene,  1523;  Diana 
and  Actason,  1559 ;  Diana  and  Callisto,  1559.  Lord  Elcho,  — 
A  Senator ;  St.  Sebastian  ;  Madonna,  a  replica  ;  the  Resur- 
rection of  Christ,  1522-26  ;  Venus  and  Adonis.  Buckingham 
Palace,  —  A  Summer  Squall.  Duke  of  Clez'cland,  —  The 
Trinity  (?).  Lord  Over  stone, — The  Last  Supper.  Lord 
Cowper,  —  Lavinia.  Holford  Collection^  —  The  Duke  of 
Milan;  the  Virgin's  Repose,  1530;  Catherine  Cornaro, 
1542  (?).  Mr.  Baring,  —  Charles  V.  Earl  Brownlow, — 
Catherine  Cornaro,  1542  ;  Diana  and  Actaeon  ;  Otho;  Christ 
Bearing  the  Cross  (?) ;  Navagero  (? ).  Late  Lord  Ashlmrton, 
Magdalen,  1560;  Venus  and  Cupid,  1563;  Salome  (?). 
There  are  also  four  pictures  attributed  to  Titian  in  Lord 
Yarborough's  collection,  four  at  Apsley  House,  three  at 
Stafford  House,  and  four  in  the  late  Lord  Malmesbury's  col- 
lection. Dr.  Waagen  pronounces  several  of  these  fifteen 
pictures  genuine,  but  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  reject  them  all. 

Oxford,  Christ  Church  College,  —  The  Nativity,  1 567  ;  the 
Saviour:    the  Duke  of  Alva(?).     Camhrid,s:e,  Fitz  William 


158  7/TIAA'. 

Museum,  —  Recumbent  Venus,  1547.  Kingston  Lacy,  — 
Savorgnano,  1537  ;  Omnia  Vanitas.  Orwell  Park,  —  Julius 
Cassar,  1537;  and  two  portraits,  indorsed  by  Waagen,  but 
rejected  by  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle.  Burleigh  House,  — 
Madonna,  1508-11.  Petworth,  —  Three  portraits.  Wardour 
Castle,  —  Infant  Christ  Sleeping  on  the  Cross.  Stoke, — 
Holy  Family  (?).  Lowther  Castle,  —  Two  portraits.  Castle 
Hoavard, —  Giorgio  Cornaro,  1522;  Philip  II.;  Dog  and 
Cats.  C/iatswortA,  —  Philip  II. ;  St.  Jerome  ;  Mastiff  and 
Cubs(?);  St.  John(?).  CobJiam  Hall,  —  hx\o%to,  15 16-18; 
Europa  and  the  Bull,  1562;  Christ  in  Benediction;  two 
doubtful  Venuses.  Longford  Castle,  —  Two  portraits  whose 
authenticity  is  contested.  Alnwick  Castle,  —  Bacchanal ; 
Venus  and  Adonis,  1547;  the  Cornaro  Family,  1560;  an 
Admiral;  Paul  III.  (?)  Hamf ton-Court  Palace,  —  Marquis 
of  Guasto;  Alessandro  de'  Medici;  Titian's  Uncle;  Ma- 
donna ;  and  nine  others,  held  as  dubious  by  the  best  critics. 
Viscount Powerscourt  [Lreland),  —  A  Youth. 

ScoTtAND  possesses  several  so-called  Titians,  all  of 
which  are  attributed  by  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  to  other 
artists,  though  Dr.  Waagen  maintains  the  genuineness  of 
several  of  them.  Hamilton  Palace  has  five  portraits;  Dal- 
keith, two  portraits ;  the  Edinburgh  Royal  Institute,  three 
pictures  ;  the  Glasgow  Museum,  a  Danae  ;  Garscube,  a  St 
Jerome;  and  Longniddy  Castle,  a  Venus. 


INDEX. 


Academy,  the,  90,  115. 

A  cLim  atid  Eve,  147. 

Aldine  Press,  24. 

Air-;elo,  Michael,  60,  loi. 

Ainmnciiition,  TV^c,  52. 

Autelao,  Mount,  7. 

Antiope,  132. 

Antiquaries,  140. 

Antonello  da  Messina,  20. 

Aretino,  55,  75,  80,85,  95)  99>  "3) 

122. 
Ariosto,  36,  70. 
Assumption^  The,  37,  97. 
Augsburg,  107,  113. 

Bacchanal,  40. 

Bacchus  and  A  riadiie,  47. 

I^eccndf.lli,  116. 

llollini.  tlie,  15,  16,  17,  32,  33. 

Bcmbo,  Pletro,  32,  81. 

Bologna,  f'?,  71 

Bordone,  Paris,  39. 

Borjria,  Cssar,  23. 

Brescia,  44,  144. 

Cadore,  7,   26,  2S,  65,  77,  92,  130, 

'37.  '4i 

Buttle  of,  26,  84. 

Route  to,  57. 

Cainpagnola,  29. 

Carpaccio,  20,  32. 

Cardinal  de'  Medici,  73,  78. 

Casa  Grande,  66,  80,  87,  113. 

C'eneda,  57,  97,  129. 

Chalks  v.,  62,  70,  79,  90, 94,  98,  107, 

11 1,  117,  121,  126. 
Christ  at  Einmaus,  106. 

Derided,  124. 

0/  Pity,  148. 

0/  the  Tribute  Money,  28. 

-Cima  da  Conegliano,  20. 


Coello,  Sanchez,  146,  14^. 
Conegliano,  43. 
Constantinople,  Bellini  at,  i& 
Cornaro  Family,  45,  91,  131. 
Correggio,  6g. 
Cranach,  Lucas,  114. 

Dattae,  103,  119. 
Death  of  Titian,  149. 
D'Este,  Alfonso,  34,  36. 
Dianas,  Tlu,  128. 

Ecce  Homo,  96,  106. 
Engravings,  125,  138. 
Entombment,  The,  49,  129. 
Epiphany,  The,  131. 
Europa  and  the  Bull,  133 . 

Farnese  Family,  93, 96, 100, 103,  loj 

Ferdinand,  King,  1 10. 

Ferrara,  34. 

Florence,  103. 

Fondaco  de'  Tedeschi,  25. 

Francis  I.,  75. 

Ciorgione,  rS,  25,  32. 

Gonzaga,  46,  89. 

Granvelle,  Chancellor,  iro. 

Grimani,  Doge,  43,  120. 

Gritti,  Doge,  51. 

Guasto,  Marquis  of,  72,  86,  89. 

Henri  III.,  147. 

Innspruck,  iii,  115. 
Irette  0/  Spilitnherg,  130. 

Landscape,  38,  116. 
Last  Supper,  135,  136,  14a. 
Lavinia,  112,  121,  124,  130. 
League  of  Catrbrai,  27. 

159 


i6o 


INDEX. 


Leone  Aretino,  126. 
Lepanto,  Battle  of,  145. 
Library  of  Venice,  130. 
Lonibardi,  71. 
Love,  Sacred  ajid  Profane,  21. 

Madonna.,  The  First,  1 1 . 

del  Coniglio,  62. 

of  Casa  Pesaro,  54. 

0/  Serravalle,  105, 

0/  tlie  Vatican,  50. 

Madonnas,  Early,  21,  27. 
Ma^dalens,  68,  132 
Mantua,  46. 
Manza,  Col  di,  07- 
Marmarolo,  7,  58. 
Mary,  Queen,  iii,  118. 
Medolc,  66,  120. 
Milan,  go,  1 10. 
Muranese  School,  15. 

l^oli  Me  Tangere,  35. 

Padua,  29,  40. 

Pal  ma  Vccchio,  18,  60. 

Paul  III.,  Pope.  93,  95,  102. 

Phili])  II.,  Ill,  114,  119,  121,  146. 

Pieve  di  Cadore,  10. 

Plague,  The,  147. 

Poinponio,  53,  63,  82,  112,  142. 

Pnrdenone,  38,  60,  84. 

Presettiation,  The,  86. 

Rome,  Titian  at,  100. 
Kossi,  Antonio,  11. 

St.  yerofne,  67. 
St.  Lawrc7ice,  124,  143. 
St.  Margaret,  116. 
St.  Peter  Martyr,  61. 
St.  Sebastian,  42. 
Salute  Pictures,  94. 
Sansovino,  5^,  85,  102,  145. 
Saxon  Elector,  the,  109,  114. 
^cbastiano,  31,  55,  60,  95. 
Soranzo,  Jacopo,  46. 
State  Paintings,  33,  115. 


Strada,  Antiquary,  140. 
Strozzi  Family,  gi. 

Three  Ages,  the,  35. 
Titian  ennobled,  71. 
Titian's  Children,  6b,  82. 

Father,  9,  11,  28,  57. 

Portraits,  91. 

Property,  139. 

Wife,  53,65. 

Trevisani,  Doge,  I2<k 
Treviso,  s**,  74. 
Trinity,  The,  117,  126. 
Triumph  0/  Faith,  30. 
Turkish  Wars,  22,  145. 

Urbino,  Duke  of,  76,  80,  92,  100. 

Val  Cadore,  7. 

di  Mel,  58. 

Van  Eyck,  20. 
Vasari,  90,  loi,  138. 
Vecelii  I^amily,  9,  24,  26,  141. 
Cesare,  141. 

f'rancesco,  24,  28,  56,  6g,  i}o. 

Gregorio,  9,  11,  28,  57. 

Lavinia,  104,  112,  121,  124,  130k 

^L^rco,  142. 

Orazio,  104,  126,  141,  144,  149. 

Orsa,  65,  112. 

Pomponio,  53,  63,  82,  112,  141 

Tiziano,  24. 

Venice,  12,  22. 
Venier,  Doge,  120. 

Venns,  48,  77,  105,  119,  134. 

Ve7itis-Worship,  35. 
Veronese,  Paul,  122. 
Vicenza,  30. 
Violante,  21. 

Virgitis  Repose,  35. 
Vitelli,  93. 
Vivarini,  The,  20. 

Vuste,  98,  113,  118,  121,  lib, 

Zoppi,  59. 
Zuccato,  13,  135. 


AR  TIS  T-BIOGRAPHIES. 


GUIDO    RENI 


BOSTON: 

HOUGHTON,   OSGOOD    AND   COMPANY, 

SE^e  Ktbtrsitie  ^rtss,  Cambriige. 

1880. 


Copyright. 

By  HOUGHTON,  OSGOOD  &  CO. 

1878. 


University  Press  :  John  Wilson  &  Son, 
Cambridgf. 


PREFACE. 


This  is  the  first  book  which  has  been  devoted  to 
the  life  of  Guido  Reni,  if  we  except  a  little  pamphlet 
published  in  Bologna,  about  half  a  century  since.  In 
its  preparation  some  aid  has  been  received  from  the 
works  of  the  old  French  and  Italian  art-writers,  and 
some  from  the  writings  of  modern  critics.  By  far  the 
greater  part,  however,  has  been  derived  from  the 
Felsina  Pittrice,  a  voluminous  book  about  the  artists 
of  Bologna  and  vicinity,  written  by  Malvasia,  who 
was  a  contemporary  and  friend  of  Guido.  In  some 
cases  (especially  in  relating  anecdotes)  I  have  trans- 
lated Malvasia  almost  literally,  hoping  that  the  an- 
tique quaintness  of  his  style  may  be  thought  pref- 
erable to  a  dry  modern  paraphrase. 

At  the  present  day  Guido  is  out  of  fashion,  and 
men  decry  his  works  as  sentimental  and  insipid 
(always  excepting  a  few  pictures  which  compel  re- 
spect and  admiration),  and  exalt  the  productions  of 
the  Gi'ottesque  school.  A  century  ago  the  Bolognese 
artists  were  held  in  the  foremost  rank,  and  the  Pre- 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

Raphaelites  were  almost  unheard  of;  and  a  century 
hence  a  new  school  of  criticism  may  elevate  new 
idols.  In  view  of  the  instability  of  the  criterions  of 
excellence,  I  have  felt  at  liberty  to  follow  the  hearty 
admiration  of  Malvasia  and  my  own  preferences, 
rather  than  the  present  vogue  and  the  opinions  of 
M.  Taine  and  the  London  critics. 

In  these  pages  poor  Guido  is  exhibited  in  all  phases 
of  his  strange  and  whimsical  character,  and  his  traits 
are  illustrated  by  such  a  series  of  anecdotes  and  re- 
marks of  his  own  as  we  cannot  find  about  even  our 
latest  modern  artists.  Many  other  curious  and  pi- 
quant stories  and  much  instructive  and  very  dry  criti- 
cism have  been  stricken  out,  in  order  to  meet  the 
Procrustean  requirements  of  our  series. 

The  rejection  of  the  so-called  Beatrice  Cenci  por- 
trait has  been  done  with  reluctance,  after  a  careful 
study  of  hundreds  of  books  pertaining  to  Roman  his- 
tory and  art.  It  may  be  an  unwelcome  surprise  to 
many  readers,  but  the  statement  agrees  with  the 
opinion  of  the  majority  of  art-critics.  Still  the  fame 
of  our  eccentric  and  erring,  our  noble  and  heroic 
Guido,  does  not  rest  on  one  or  a  dozen  pictures,  and 
he  needs  no  dubious  laurels. 

M.    F.    SVVEETSER. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1575-1598-                                                        PAG« 
The  Musician's  Son.  —  Forbidden  Art.  —  Cal vart's  Teachings.  —  The 
Caracci.  —  A  Jealous  Master.  —  The  New  Theory.  —  Morning 
Labors j 

CHAPTER  II. 

1599-1610. 
First    Days    in    Rome.  —  Caravagglo.  —  St.   Gregory's    Church.  — 
Domenichino.  —  The  Aurora.  —  The  Quirinal  Chapel.  —  Paul  V. 
—  The  so-called  Portrait  of  Beatrice  Cenci 33 

CHAPTER  III. 

1610-1615. 
Mercantile  Schemes.  —  'The  Massacre  of  the  Innocents.'  —  Recall  to 
Rome.  —  A  Triumph.  —  The  Pope's  Kindness.  —  Frescos  at  Santa 
Maria  Maggiore 43 

CHAPTER  IV. 

1616-1621. 
At  Bologna. — The  Pieti.  —  The  Assumption,  for  Genoa.  —  Mantuan 
Commissions.  — At  Ravenna  and  Naples.  —  Once  more  at  Rome. 
— '  The  Archangel  Michael  *  .......    53 

5 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

1622-1623.  F  AGB 

Honors  at  Bologna.  —  Princely  Visitors.  —  The  Cardinals.  — '  The 
Abduction  of  Helen.'  —  The  Castelfranco  Assumption.  —  'The 
Samson.'  —  Minor  Works 67 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Guide's  Manners.  —  His  Favorite  Artists.  —  Pupils.  —  Models  .        .    79 

CHAPTER  Vn. 
Guide's  Devoutness.  —  Personal  Appearance.  —  Eating  and  Sleeping. 
—  Gambling.  —  Literary  Adulation.  —  Generosity       .        .        .98 

CHAPTER  VHI. 
1633-1642. 
Last  Labors.  — '  The  Crucifixion.' — '  Ariadne.' — Pathetic  Illness.  — 
The  Death  of  Guide xja 


GUIDO. 


CHAPTER    I. 

The  Musidan's  Son.  —  Forbidden  Art.  —  Calvart's  Teachings.  — 
The  Caracci.  —  A  Jealous  Master.  —  The  New  Theory.— 
Morning  Labors. 

The  great  Papal  Jubilee  of  the  year  1575  drew 
delegations  from  all  parts  of  Italy  to  Rome,  eager 
to  show  honor  to  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  and  to 
his  holy  city.  Conspicuous  among  these  pilgrim- 
bands  was  the  Most  Noble  Arch-confraternity  della 
Morte,  from  Bologna,  a  city  which  was  most  loyal 
to  the  Pontifical  throne,  since  its  occupant  at  that 
time.  Pope  Gregory  XIII.,  was  bom  within  her 
walls.  The  Senate  also  sent  with  this  devout 
brotherhood  an  accomplished  musician  and  singer, 
Daniele  Reni,  who  had  long  been  enjoying  a  salary 
from  the  municipality,  in  order  that  the  chants  and 
chorals  of  the  pilgrims  might  be  wisely  conducted. 

7 


8  GUIDO. 

During  this  absence,  Daniele's  wife,  Ginevra 
Pozzi,  bore  a  child,  who  came  into  the  world  on 
the  fourth  of  November,  and  was  baptized  in  the 
Church  of  San  Lorenzo,  three  days  later.  Barto- 
lommeo  Marescotti  and  Caterina  dall'  Armi  acted 
as  godparents,  and  the  name  which  the  infant 
received  was  Guido.  And  when  Daniele  returned 
to  Bologna,  and  perceived  the  beauty  of  his  child, 
he  was  filled  with  great  joy,  for  the  Graces  seemed 
indeed  to  have  taken  up  their  abode  in  that  bright 
infant  face. 

Young  Guido  was  placed  in  the  grammar-school 
of  Guglielmini,  where  his  future  rival,  Albano,  was 
then  his  fellow-pupil.  Daniele  Reni  practised  the 
art  of  teaching  singing,  in  addition  to  his  other 
musical  gifts,  and  soon  showed  his  son  how  to  sing 
sweetly,  in  the  light  soprano  voice  appropriate  to 
his  tender  age.  He  taught  him  to  play  the  harpsi- 
chord, the  flute,  and  other  instruments,  and  hoped 
that  the  genius  which  appeared  in  all  his  lineaments 
would  secure  him  eminence  in  music. 

But  the  old  musician's  hopes  were  fallacious, 
for  the  child  left  his  harpsichord  as  often  as  he 
dared,  and  spent  his  time  in  making  rude  sketches 
and  forming  figures  from  clay.  Many  years  after- 
wards he  thus  described  his  early  trials :  — 


TO  HIM  THAT  OVERCOMETH.  9 

"  Where  other  youths  were  scolded  because  they 
vvere  reluctant  to  make  efforts,  I  was  beaten  by  my 
parents  because  I  studied  too  much ;  and  these 
chastisements,  received  for  the  love  of  learning, 
were  dear  wounds  to  me,  and  sweet  incitements 
to  search  further  for  the  object  of  my  quest,  and  to 
possess  myself  of  it.  They  took  paper  away  from 
me,  and  I  marked  upon  the  walls.  When  I  could 
no  longer  find  there  a  place  for  my  sketches,  I 
gained  at  last  a  fresh  and  inexhaustible  one,  in  the 
dust.  They  removed  my  lamp,  that  I  might  go  to 
sleep,  and  I  ingeniously  provided  myself  with  one 
which  I  kept  hidden  under  the  bed,  so  that  I 
could  make  the  night  ifito  day,  and  employ  in  my 
studies  all  the  night  and  day  combined." 

At  that  time  the  Bolognini  Palace  was  a  nursery 
of  the  arts  and  literature,  and  Daniele  Reni  fre- 
quently went  there  to  assist  with  his  bagpipes  in 
the  concerts,  and  brought  his  child  with  him. 
Now  Dionisio  Calvart,  a  famous  Flemish  painter, 
who  had  a  studio  and  school  in  the  palace,  by 
some  means  saw  certain  drawings  of  Guido's,  and 
they  aroused  his  interest  so  thoroughly  that  he 
besought  Daniele  to  apprentice  his  son  to  a  profes- 
sion for  which  he  showed  such  a  natural  aptitude. 


lo  GUIDO. 

The  head  of  the  Bolognini  family  asked  the  lad 
which  he  would  prefer  to  be,  a  painter  or  a  musi- 
cian, and,  when  Guido  answered  promptly  in  favor 
of  art,  the  patron  urged  Daniele  to  yield  to  his 
son's  desires. 

There  was  no  resisting  the  obvious  tendency  of 
the  child's  genius,  and  at  last  Daniele  wisely  con- 
sented to  allow  him  to  study  art,  with  the  condition 
that  if  he  failed  to  make  satisfactory  progress  with- 
in a  stated  period  he  should  return  to  music.  In 
the  mean  time,  he  agreed  to  keep  up  his  practice 
on  the  notes,  so  that,  if  need  be,  he  could  readily 
resume  his  musical  studies.  It  was  thus,  as  one  of 
his  eulogists  remarks,  that  Guido  was  born  of  music 
and  beloved  of  art,  and  from  the  harmonies  of  the 
voice  he  passed  to  the  concert  of  colors. 

Guido  mastered  the  elementary  departments 
of  his  chosen  profession  with  great  rapidity,  and 
soon  began  to  draw  from  the  nude  and  from  re- 
liefs. His  master  had  so  high  an  opinion  of  his 
judgment  and  ability  that,  four  years  later,  when 
he  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  appointed  him 
to  give  certain  instructions  to  his  fellow-pupils. 
He  was  then  distinguished  for  a  modesty  and  dig- 
nit}  quite  unwonted  in  persons  of  such  tender  age 


THE   CARACCI.  II 

and  sudden  elevation,  and  won  the  respect  of  all 
his  companions  and*  superiors.  Among  these  fel- 
low-pupils were  Albano  and  Domenichino,  who  had 
previously  been  with  him  in  the  parish-school,  and 
viewed  his  present  excellences  with  admiration  and 
surprise. 

When  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  Guido 
was  promoted  to  the  painting  of  his  master's 
groundworks,  and  also  to  the  composition  of  small 
pictures,  which  were  retouched  by  Calvart,  and 
sold  as  liis  own  works.  The  diligence  and  assi- 
duity of  the  student  were  thus  rendered  tributary 
to  the  money-making  of  the  master,  and  each 
recognized  the  ruling  traits  of  the  other. 

The  Caracci  were  now  in  full  success,  and  had 
opened  their  academy  for  the  free  entry  of  who- 
soever wished.  Guido  was  completely  fascinated 
with  their  manner,  and  eagerly  embraced  the  first 
opportunity  of  being  introduced  to  the  gentle 
Lodovico,  who  promised  to  remember  the  youth, 
and  to  aid  him  whenever  needful.  Thereafter  he 
was  wont  to  secretly  visit  Lodovico  and  observe 
him  while  painting,  until  at  last  the  Caracci  man- 
ner began  to  appear  in  his  own  pictures,  and  his 
master,  detecting  the  foreign  influence,  flew  into  a 


12  GUI  DO. 

great  rage,  and  rubbed  out  some  of  his  most  care- 
ful work.  The  lad  endured  'these  reproaches  in 
silence,  for  many  a  day,  until  at  last  Calvart  at- 
tempted to  punish  him  for  using  a  prohibited  color, 
when  he  threw  down  his  palette,  and  fled  from  the 
studio  forever. 

In  Ills  twentieth  year,  therefore,  Guido  entered 
the  school  of  the  Caracci,  and  began  to  make  out- 
lines, paint  groundworks,  and  draw  from  subjects 
which  they  assigned  him.  Discarding  the  style  of 
painting  which  he  had  previously  acquired,  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  acquisition  of  the  new  man- 
ner, in  which,  during  the  next  few  years,  he  exe- 
cuted several  small  religious  compositions  for  the 
churches  and  nobles  of  Bologna.  One  of  these 
was  a  pair  of  small  pictures  to  be  placed  near  the 
miraculous  portrait  of  the  Madonna,  which  tradi- 
tion says  Avas  painted  by  St.  Luke.  This  quaint 
picture  was  brought  from  Constantinople,  in  the 
year  1160,  and  is  still  preserved  in  a  sumptuous 
pilgrimage-church  on  the  Monte  della  Guardia, 
overlooking  Bologna.  Guido's  work  was  so  pleas- 
ing to  the  monks  that  they  had  him  paint  another 
for  their  Church  of  St.  Matthew.  The  praises 
elicited  by  the  latter,  from  the  Caracci  and  their 


WITH  THE   CARACCT.  1 3 

scholars,  caused  the  young  artist  to  blush  with 
modesty  and  pleasure.  Lodovico  used  to  say  that 
it  was  worth  while  to  try  Guido's  sensitive  modesty, 
because  when  his  natural  beauty  was  heightened 
by  blushes,  he  became  a  worthy  model  for  an  angel. 
The  master  indeed  drew  him  several  times  in  this 
character. 

The  venerable  Abbot  Sampieri  had,  about  this 
time,  commissioned  Annibale  Caracci  to  paint  a 
picture,  which  he  wished  to  present  to  a  Roman 
prelate.  Annibale  executed  a  picture  of  the  Depo- 
sition from  the  Cross,  with  such  rare  skill  and 
affection  that  the  Abbot,  who  was  a  man  of  refined 
taste,  could  not  bear  to  part  with  it,  and  deter- 
mined to  keep  it  himself,  and  have  the  artist  paint 
him  a  copy  to  be  sent  to  Rome.  Guido  was  de- 
tailed to  execute  this  worlj;,  and  he  did  it  in  such  a 
manner  that  when  it  was  brought  to  Annibale  for 
criticism  and  retouching,  the  latter  bade  the  Abbot 
take  it  just  as  it  stood,  saying  that  he  could  not 
add  to  it  without  injuring  the  perfection  of  the 
work.  Guido  always  remembered  his  life  in  this 
school  with  joy,  and  often  said  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble not  to  be  profited  by  the  Caracci,  since  the 
labors  of  learning  were  alleviated  there  by  a  con 
tinual  play  of  jests,  banterings,  and  drolleries. 


t4  GUIVU. 

Annibale  was  annoyed  by  the  close  scrutiny  and 
ambitious  labors  of  the  young  student,  but  Agos- 
tino  and  Lodovico  encouraged  and  aided  him. 
One  day  the  latter  had  been  showing  him  how  to 
paint  little  children  so  that  their  superabundant 
fatness  would  conceal  their  muscles,  and  wher 
the  youth  had  gone,  Annibale  cried,  "  Do  not  teach 
that  fellow  so  much,  or  he  will  some  day  know 
more  than  the  whole  of  us.  Do  you  not  see  how, 
never  contented,  he  continually  searches  into  new 
matters?  I  know  of  no  one  more  eager,  more 
insinuating,  or  more  careful.  Remember,  Lodo- 
vico, one  day  this  fellow  will  make  you  sigh." 

After  Raphael  had  passed  away,  the  Roman 
school  of  painting  fell  into  great  weakness,  weighted 
with  chimerical  devices  and  artifices,  and  degraded 
by  a  bleak  and  attenuated  coloring.  At  this  time 
Caravaggio  introduced  a  new  and  sensational  man- 
ner, abounding  in  deep  shadows  and  intense  lights, 
and  in  other  regards  showing  a  slavish  imitation  of 
nature.  When  the  Roman  nobles  noticed  and 
praised  the  works  in  the  new  manner,  the  artist's 
fame  and  fortune  were  made,  and  almost  every 
gallery  desired  his  pictures.  One  of  these  was 
placed  in  the  Casa  Lambertini,  at  Bologna,  and  the 


A  NEW  THEORY.  IS 

Caracci  hastened  to  inspect  it,  to  see  what  manner 
of  art  Italy  was  now  so  praiseful  of, 

Annibale  summoned  his  pupils  before  the  new 
wonder  in  art,  and  spoke  of  it  in  disparagement, 
warning  them  against  leaving  their  legitimate  rules 
for  the  evanescent  fame  of  such  singular  produc- 
tions. "I  well  know,"  added  he,  "another  method 
of  making  a  fortunate  hit,  as  well  as  of  conquering 
and  mortifying  this  fellow.  To  that  savage  coloring 
oppose  one  entirely  delicate  and  tender.  Does  he 
use  lights  narrowed  and  falling?  I  would  make 
them  open  and  in  the  face.  Does  he  cover  up  the 
difficulties  of  art  under  the  shadows  of  night  ?  I 
would  expose  under  the  full  light  of  noonday  the 
fruits  of  erudite  and  learned  researches.  As  much 
as  he  sees  in  nature,  without  destroying  the  good 
and  the  best,  put  down;  and  choose  and  arrange 
the  most  perfect  parts,  so  that  the  figures  shall  have 
compleie  noDiIity  and  harmony." 

Guido  was  among  the  disciples  who  heard  these 
words,  and  they  appeared  to  him  the  voice  of  a 
sacred  oracle,  giving  a  certain  and  sufficient  light 
along  the  path  up  which  he  was  struggling.  He 
entered  with  great  earnestness  upon  the  develop- 
ment of  these  suggestions,  refining  the  theory  with 


1 6  GUIDO. 

prolonged  studies,  and  earning  at  last  the  honor  of 
being  the  first  and  fortunate  introducer  of  the  new 
manner.  His  earliest  essay  therein  was  the  '  Or- 
pheus and  Eurydice,'  a  picture  which  Lambertini 
had  ordered  from  Agostino  Caracci  for  the  decora- 
tion of  his  chimney-piece,  and  which  was  after- 
wards sold  into  France.  He  afterwards  painted  a 
still  more  successful  picture  of  the  fable  of  CaUsto, 
whose  merit  was  celebrated  by  the  famous  poet 
Marini ;  and  the  artist  recompensed  his  tuneful 
eulogist  by  painting  his  portrait. 

But  Guido's  rapid  advance  did  not  fail  to  awaken 
the  jealousy  of  his  fellow-artists,  who  held  that  it 
was  temerity  to  attempt  more  than  the  Caracci  had 
accomplished ;  reasoning  that  such  presumptuous- 
ness  tended  towards  the  ruin  of  true  art.  Their 
zeal,  the  offspring  of  rancor  and  emT',  finally  dis- 
played itself  in  an  attempt  to  place  Guido  under 
the  suspicion  of  his  masters,  who  held  him  in  such 
high  esteem.  At  last  only  Lodovico  remained 
attached  to  the  youth,  and  Brizio,  Garbicri,  and 
others  of  the  rivals,  united  in  a  league  of  defama- 
tion and  accusation.  Guido's  quiet  and  studious 
disposition  was  maligned  as  arrogance,  and  his 
numerous   labors    as   the   fruits    of    an   insatiable 


EMULATION.  1 7 

greediness.  Incited  by  these  skilful  conspirators, 
the  master  hardened  his  heart  against  Guide,  who 
soon  saw  that  his  rivals  had  triumphed,  and  resolved 
to  withdraw. 

Now  Camillo  Bolognetti  had  a  beloved  nun- 
sister,  and,  being  mindful  to  make  her  an  accept- 
able present,  he  ordered  Guido  to  paint  the 
Adoration  of  the  Magi,  with  thirty  or  more  figures. 
When  it  was  done,  the  artist  demanded  thirty 
crownsj  but  Bolognetti  demurred,  and  the  case 
was  referred  to  the  arbitration  of  Lodovico,  who 
decided  that  the  picture  was  the  work  of  a  novice, 
and  that  ten  crowns  was  a  good  price  for  it. 
Guido  bowed  to  this  decree,  but  could  not  conceal 
his  grief  and  sense  of  wrong,  and  withdrew  from 
the  studio,  leaving  Lodovico  troubled  by  remorse, 
since  he  had  thus  mistreated  his  beloved  pupil,  not 
at  his  own  desire,  but  to  please  the  other  disciples. 

It  chanced  that  Lodovico  at  this  time  designed  a 
picture  of  the  Nativity  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  for 
the  high  altar  of  the  Church  of  the  Monks  of  St. 
John,  but  delayed  its  execution  because  the  breth- 
ren would  not  pay  the  price  of  200  crowns,  which 
he  demanded.  Guido  seized  the  opportunity  thus 
afforded,  and  offered  to   do  the  work  for  half  the 


l8  GUIDO. 

money.  But  Lodovico,  having  heard  of  this  com- 
petition, hastened  to  conclude  a  bargain  at  any 
price. 

When  Pope  Clement  VIII.  was  about  to  return 
from  Ferrara  to  Rome,  in  1598,  he  proposed  to 
sojourn  in  Bologna  for  some  time,  and  the  munici- 
pality prepared  to  do  him  an  especial  honor  by 
raising  numerous  triumphal  arches,  and  covering 
the  houses  with  silks,  tapestries,  and  frescos.  The 
two  chief  candidates  for  the  task  of  painting  these 
frescos  were  Cesi  and  Lodovico  Caracci,  and  the 
votes  were  nearly  divided  between  them,  when 
suddenly  Guido  appeared  as  a  third  contestant, 
and  was  accepted  as  a  compromise  between  the 
two  hostile  parties.  But  the  difficulties  encoun- 
tered in  these  paintings  proved  more  formidable 
than  the  young  artist  had  supposed,  and  he  felt 
unsatisfied  with  the  result.  Being  unacquainted 
with  fresco-painting,  he  had  serious  difficulty  with 
his  groundwork,  while  it  was  drying,  and  even  de- 
sired to  reproduce  the  entire  composition  in  oil. 
At  this  juncture  he  found  two  of  his  comrades 
in  Calvart's  studio,  Ferantini  and  Tassoni,  who 
taught  him  all  the  details  of  frescoing,  —  the 
preparation  of  the  wall,  the  proper  time  for  paint- 


FRESCOS  OF  BOLOGNA.  19 

ing  it,  and  the  various  changes  and  effects  pos- 
sible. Guido  acted  frequently  as  Tassoni's  model^ 
uaring  an  arm,  a,  Icg^  or  his  chest,  and  showed  his 
high  appreciation  by  giving  him  his  ovvn  portrait. 
The  new  frescos  of  Cesi,  on  the  Registry  Office, 
and  those  of  Albani  on  the  adjacent  arcades, 
representing  the  history  of  St.  Francis,  alike  failed 
to  approach  the  grace  of  the  Virtues  and  Cherubs 
which  Guido  then  depicted. 

Another  fine  fresco  of  this  time  Guido  executed 
in  the  great  hall  of  the  Zani  Palace,  composed  of 
three  life-size  figures,  and  representing  the  separa- 
tion of  light  from  darkness.  Other  pictures  also 
he  designed  for  Count  Zani,  including  portraits  of 
nine  illustrious  men,  to  be  hung  in  the  hall ;  and  a 
brilUant  fi-esco  of  the  fall  of  Phaeton  and  his  steeds. 
The  chief  frescos  were  skilfully  transferred  from 
the  wall  to  canvas,  in  1840,  and  removed  to  Eng- 
land. In  his  twenty-fifth  year  Guido  painted  a 
picture  of  a  Carthusian  monk  reading,  which  was 
long  preserved  at  the  convent  (Jf  the  Carthusians, 
and  is  now  in  the  Pinacoteca.  But  the  greatest 
ivork  of  Guido  during  this  period  was  the  picture 
of  St.  Benedict  in  the  Desert,  in  the  cloister  of  the 
famous  monastery  of  St.  Michele  in  Bosco.     Lodo- 


20  GUIDO. 

vico  and  his  pupils  had  frescoed  these  cloisters  with 
scenes  fron:i  the  life  of  St.  Benedict,  so  splendidly 
executed,  in  generous  emulation,  that  all  subse- 
quent artists  of  Bologna  went  hither  as  to  a  school 
of  art.  Guido  invited  Lodovico  to  view  his  pic- 
ture, before  it  was  publicly  exposed,  in  order  to 
advise  him  as  to  any  needful  changes,  and  the  mas- 
ter was  thoroughly  amazed  at  the  excellence  of  the 
work.  The  picture  showed  the  saint,  with  a  face 
radiant  in  peaceful  repose,  issuing  from  a  grotto  on 
a  mountain-side,  and  receiving  the  offerings  of 
numerous  country-people. 

One  head  among  these  frescos  of  the  Caracci 
has  for  us  a  surpassing  interest,  and  this  is  that  of 
a  woman  wearing  a  graceful  turban,  which  Guido 
frequently  pointed  out  as  a  portrait  of  himself  while 
a  lad.  The  face  is  full  and  symmetrical,  with  large 
eyes,  looking  upward,  and  arching  lips.  The  Ital- 
ians call  this  head  La  Turbatitina.  Such  is  its 
elusive  beauty  that  Malvasia  had  it  drawn  eighteen 
times,  and  engraved  thrice,  before  he  could  get  a 
representation  worthy  to  put  in  his  book. 

Guido  made  a  copy  of  Raphael's  '  St.  Cecilia,' 
which,  according  to  Bellori,  "need  not  be  afraid  of 
the  original,"  and  according  to  the  Roman  artists 


INVITED    TO  ROME.  21 

possessed  the  softness  and  delicacy  which  Rapha- 
el's work  lacked.  This  work  was  done  for  Cardi- 
nal Facchenetti,  and  still  remains  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Louis,  at  Rome.  He  also  made  two  pictures 
for  Cardinal  Sfondrato,  which  awakened  the  admi- 
ration of  the  Cavaliere  d'Arpmo  and  of  Pomeran- 
cio.  The  fame  of  Guido's  works  had  now  spread 
abroad  through  Italy,  and  his  Roman  patrons  had 
given  him  large  remunerations  and  genefous  praises. 
He  began  to  desire  to  place  himself  under  the  pro- 
tection of  such  appreciative  nobles,  as  well  as  to 
see  his  honored  master,  Annibale,  who  had  now  long 
been  engaged  in  decorating  the  gallery  of  the  Far- 
nese  Palace  with  his  noblest  work.  Being  invited 
by  Arpino  and  urged  by  his  patrons,  he  finally  con- 
sented to  make  the  journey,  and  departed  from 
Bologna,  in  company  with  Albano. 


23  GUIDO. 


CHAPTER    II. 

First  Days  in  Rome.  —  Caravaggio.  —  St.  Gregory's  Church.  — 
Domenichino.  —  The  Aurora.  —  The  Quirinal  Chapel. —  Paul 
V.  — The  so-called  Portrait  of  Beatrice  Ccnci. 

Immediately  upon  their  arrival  at  Rome,  Guide 
and  Albano  were  taken  in  charge  by  Cardinal 
Sfondrato,  formerly  the  Legate  at  Bologna,  who 
secured  rooms  for  them  at  the  Monastery  of  Santa 
Prassede,  whereof  he  was  the  titular  Cardinal. 
Strangers  in  the  Papal  city,  the  two  young  men 
found  occupation  enough  by  day  in  visiting  the 
churches  and  picture-galleries  where  the  great 
paintings  of  the  masters  were  displayed ;  but  their 
long  evenings  were  spent  in  playing  cards,  and 
thus,  perhaps,  the  foundations  were  laid  of  all 
Guido's  subsequent  misfortunes.  Albano  was  the 
younger  of  the  two,  and  was  less  known  and  hon- 
ored, wherefore  a  jealousy  soon  arose  between 
them,  and  caused  their  separation  and  subsequent 
hostility. 

Guido   devoted   himself  with   intense    assiduity 


CARAVAGGIO'S  IRE.  23 

to  drawing  and  redrawing  the  antique  statues  in 
Rome,  both  with  pencil  and  pen,  and  thus  endeav- 
ored to  familiarize  himself  with  the  spirit  of  Greek 
art.  His  first  pubhc  commission  in  Rome  was  for 
an  altar-piece  representing  the  martyrdom  of  St. 
Cecilia,  which  was  placed  in  the  bath-room  of  that 
saint,  attached  to  one  of  the  Trastevere  churches. 
He  was  soon  taken  under  the  patronage  of  Arpino, 
who  began  to  oppose  him  to  Caravaggio,  seeking 
for  him  certain  contracts  which  had  been  destined 
for  the  latter.  Annibale  was  but  httle  pleased  to 
see  his  old  pupil  brought  into  proximity  with  him, 
and  reproached  Albano  for  having  invited  him, 
Caravaggio,  indeed,  fearing  the  comparison  with  a 
new  manner  so  far  opposed  to  his  own,  was  beside 
himself  with  anger,  and  libelled  Guido's  pictures 
as  affected  and  fantastic,  threatening  some  day  to 
meet  their  designer  with  other  weapons  than  brush- 
es and  pencils.  He  would  doubtless  have  carried 
out  this  menace,  in  the  rough  North- Italian  way, 
but  that  Guido  carefully  avoided  meeting  him, 
until  he  had  gained  enough  powerful  patrons  to 
render  an  attack  dangerous.  Caravaggio  once 
encountered  him  on  the  street,  and  cried  out  that 
if  he   had   come   to   Rome  with  the  thought  of 


24  GUIDO. 

competing  with  him,  he  was  ready  to  meet  and 
give  him.  satisfaction  in  any  way,  and  that  he 
would  be  taught  to  stay  at  home  thereafter,  and 
not  let  his  foolish  pride  run  away  with  him.  Guido 
dryly  answered  that  he  came  io  Rome  to  paint, 
not  to  fight  duels. 

Cardinal  Borghese  now  commissioned  Guido  to 
paint  a  picture  of  the  Crucifixion  of  St.  Peter,  foi 
the  Abbey  of  the  Three  Fountains,  near  Rome, 
stipulating,  however,  that  it  should  be  done  in  the 
manner  of  Caravaggio.  The  young  artist  fulfilled 
his  contract,  but  with  a  dignity  and  grandeur,  both 
of  composition  and  design,  which  surpassed  the 
best  efforts  of  Caravaggio.  This  picture  is  now 
preserved  in  the  Vatican  Gallery. 

Borghese  was  ^t  this  time  engaged  in  restoring 
the  venerable  Church  of  St.  Gregory,  and  assigned 
to  Guido  the  task  of  frescoing  two  of  its  detached 
chapels.  The  Chapel  of  St.  Andrew  contains  his 
picture  of  St.  Andrew  adoring  the  Cross,  while  on 
the  way  to  his  martyrdom,  attended  by  soldiers  and 
executioners,  with  an  admirable  group  of  frightened 
women  and  children  in  the  foreground.  Domeni- 
chino  painted  the  Flagellation  of  St.  Andrew,  in  the 
&ame  chapel,  in  emulation  of  the  work  of  his  old 


DOMENICHINO'S  LOVE.  25 

comrade,  and  produced  a  powerful  and  dramatic 
composition.  These  two  pictures  were  extrava- 
gantly admired,  and  Domenichino's  was  reputed 
at  the  time  to  be  more  filled  with  learning  than 
the  other,  though  less  happily  composed.  Seme 
one  demanded  Annibale's  opinion  as  to  the  rival 
works  at  St.  Gregory's,  and  he  rejoined  :  "  That 
of  Guido  truly  appears  to  be  from  a  master's  hand  ; 
and  Domenichino's  is  the  work  of  a  pupil,  but  of  a 
pupil  who  knows  more  than  his  master."  The 
Abbot  Sampieri  asked  him  which  he  thought  ought 
to  attain  the  greater  success,  Guido  or  Albano,  and 
he  replied  :  "  Guido  is  the  most  God-fearing  of  the 
two." 

Domenichino's  veneration  for  his  old  comrade 
knew  no  abatement.  Every  day,  without  fail,  he 
left  his  labors  at  one  hour  before  sunset,  and  went 
to  Guido's  house  to  pay  his  respects  and  homage  ; 
when  the  two  young  masters  would  usually  take  a 
walk  together  tlirough  the  city  streets,  or  out  of 
one  of  the  gates.  In  16 10,  when  Domenichino 
executed  the  wonderful  frescos  which  are  still  pre- 
served in  the  Abbey  of  Grotta  Ferrata,  he  intro- 
duced a  portrait  of  Guido  into  the  picture  repre- 
senting the  meeting  of  St.  Nilus  and  the  Emperor 


26  GUIDO. 

Otho  III.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the  pupils  of 
the  Caracci  who  could  compete  with  Guido,  and 
some  critics  esteem  him  as  even  more  noble  in 
his  works.  Guido  was  accustomed  to  pay  frequent 
visits  to  Domenichino's  '  Mart}^Tdom  of  St.  Agnes,' 
and  once  he  was  asked  if  it  was  as  beautiful  as  the 
works  of  Raphael.  "Ten  times  as  beautiful,"  he 
answered,  "  and  I  assure  you  that  this  is  the 
utmost  limit  of  excellence  to  which  the  modern 
pencil  can  attain."  In  1612,  Domenichino  wTOte 
to  a  friend :  "  I  have  seen  the  works  of  the  great 
Guido,  as  things  descended  from  heaven,  and 
painted  by  the  hand  of  an  angel.  Oh,  what  airs 
of  paradise,  what  expressions  of  emotion,  what 
truth  and  vivacity  !  " 

Cardinal  Borghese  was  so  well  pleased  with 
Guido's  pictures  that  he  desired  to  make  him  his 
court-painter,  with  a  pension  and  establishment 
accordingly.  The  Cavaliere  d'Arpino  stimulated 
him  to  carry  out  this  project  speedily,  and  not  to 
weary  with  long  delays  that  great  genius,  who  would 
doubtless  be  the  first  artist  of  the  century,  and  the 
head  of  a  school  which  would  be  the  model  for 
modern  art.  It  was  then  aiTanged  that  Guido 
should  receive  ninC  crowns  a  month,  besides  the 


THE  *  aurora:  27 

accustomed  portions  of  bread,  wine,  and  wood,  and 

twenty-five  crowns  every  half-year  for  the  rent  of 
his  house.  His  works  were  also  to  be  paid  for 
severally,  in  the  form  of  presents.  Guido's  home 
was  in  the  palace  of  the  Senator  Fantuzzi,  and  m 
his  chambers  there  he  opened  an  art-school  which 
attracted  scores  of  Roman  youths. 

Borghese  soon  ordered  the  artist  to  fresco  the 
casino  of  the  palace  which  he  had  lately  bought 
from  the  Duke  Altemps,  and  the  resulting  achieve- 
ment was  the  marvellous  picture  of  '  Aurora,'  which 
is  generally  considered  as  Guido's  masterpiece. 
The  palace  now  pertains  to  the  Rospigliosi  family, 
and  its  casino  is  yearly  visited  by  thousands  of  ad- 
miring travellers.  Taine  thus  describes  this  noble 
work :  "  The  god  of  day  is  seated  on  his  chariot, 
surrounded  by  a  choir  of  dancing  Hours,  preceded 
by  the  early  morning  Hour,  scattering  flowers.  The 
deep  blue  of  the  sea,  still  obscure,  is  charming. 
There  is  a  joyousness,  a  complete  pagan  amplitude, 
about  these  blooming  goddesses,  with  their  hands 
interlinked,  and  all  dancing  as  if  at  an  antique 
fete." 

Fresh  commissions  now  poured  in  upon  the  artist 
in  such  numbers  that  he  had  great  difficulty  to  find 


28  GUIDO. 

excuses  for  declining  them,  while  many  of  his  less 
fortunate  fellows  were  lying  idle.  His  note-book 
of  this  period  contains  the  records  of  numerous 
sums  which  had  been  paid  him  in  advance,  and 
were  now  returned  to  the  would-be  patrons.  The 
hostile  artists  referred  his  reluctance  to  take  new 
contracts  not  only  to  arrogance,  but  also  to  a  cun- 
ning artifice,  whereby  he  endeavored  to  keep  his 
pictures  scarce,  and  therefore  more  desired  and 
praised.  The  truth  was,  that  the  rapidly  succeed- 
ing commissions  of  his  patrons  held  him  continually 
harassed,  both  to  satisfy  them  and  his  own  stand- 
ards of  excellence. 

He  was  next  ordered  to  decorate  the  Pope's 
Chapel,  in  the  new  Quirinal  Palace,  for  which  he 
received  one  hundred  crowns  a  month.  But  in 
proportion  as  this  remuneration  was  promptly  paid, 
so  also  the  need  of  diligence  and  rapidity  was  in- 
culcated on  the  artist,  and  he  grieved  much  at 
being  driven  to  such  fatigues,  so  that  only  the  nights 
remained  to  himself,  and  even  then,  instead  of 
enjoying  his  accustomed  quiet  and  repose,  he 
meditated  on  the  designs,  drew  the  sketches,  and 
prepared  the  cartoons  for  the  ensuing  days. 
Among  those  whom  he  associated  with  himself  at 


PAPAL  HONORS.  29 

the  Quirinal  were  Campana,  Antonio  Caracci,  and 

Lanfranco,  who  had  also  labored  at  St.  Gregory's. 
Albano,  too,  was  engaged  here,  and  received  twenty 
crowns  for  painting  the  seven  children  in  the  vault 
of  the  chapel,  but  was  discharged  by  Guido  because 
he  continually  complained  that  he  and  Domenichino 
had  not  received  their  parts  of  the  work,  as  the 
Pope  had  intended. 

When  Paul  V.  was  accustomed  to  go  to  the 
Quirinal  Chapel  every  morning  to  see  him  paint, 
he  graciously  told  him  once  to  replace  his  cap  on 
his  head,  and  for  the  future  not  to  remove  it  before 
him.  When  Paul  had  departed,  the  artist  said, 
"  By  my  faith,  he  has  hit  it !  Because  for  the 
future,  either  he  should  not  find  me  here,  or  else  I 
should  most  certainly  have  kept  my  head  covered." 
Some  one  replied  that  such  a  course  would  have 
been  a  great  mistake.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  should 
have  begged  His  Holiness  to  pardon  me,  feigning 
that  the  air  troubled  my  head  when  bare.  It  is  for 
this  cause  that  I  will  never  go  to  serve  kings, 
because  I  should  not  wish  to  stand  bare-headed  in 
their  presence,  since  such  an  act  is  not  seemly  for 
men  of  our  profession." 

Although   Guido   was   but    little   ambitious    for 


30  GUIDO. 

honors  and  praises  for  himself,  he  was  the  more 
fervent  for  the  advantage  of  art,  and  studied  con- 
tinually to  replace  it  in  its  former  dignity  and 
honor.  One  day  he  was  with  the  sculptor  Cordieri, 
when  the  latter  suddenly  stepped  out,  and  walked 
along  by  the  coach  of  Cardinal  Borghese,  telling 
him  of  a  new  work  under  way.  Guido  refused  to 
join  his  comrade,  even  though  Borghese  invited 
him,  and  when  Cordieri  returned  to  his  side,  he 
gave  him  a  sound  berating,  saying  that  the  Cardi- 
nal ought  to  have  stopped  for  them  ;  that  Cordieri's 
act  had  showed  how  power  triumphs  over  virtue ; 
that  he  had  thus  made  himself  unworthy  of  the 
private  visits  which  Pope  Clement  had  paid  him ; 
and  so  also  he  had  become  unfit  to  receive  the 
visits  of  the  reigning  Pope,  since  he  trotted  so  con- 
tentedly after  a  Cardinal's  carriage. 

One  day,  when  the  Pope  entered  to  see  the  new 
paintings,  as  he  sometimes  did,  in  a  familiar  way, 
after  dinner,  he  found  Lanfranco  at  work  on  the 
drapery  of  certain  figures,  and  exclaimed,  in  an 
angry  mood,  "  Now  I  see  clearly  what  I  have  for 
some  time  suspected,  that  in  this  contract  Guido 
applies  himself  to  getting  money  as  earnestly,  as  to 
the   labor   itself  he  devotes   himself  but  coldly." 


THE  QUIRINAL   CHAPEL.  31 

When  the  Pope  returned,  the  next  day,  Guido  said, 
"Most  Blessed  Father,  the  outhning,  sketching, 
and  ground-painting  are  not  the  things  that  make 
these  pictures  what  they  shall  be  :  they  are  only  as 
a  document  of  Your  Holiness's,  which  is  of  no 
value  until  you  have  placed  your  hand  to  it,  and 
affirmed  it.  Not  only  are  these  thoughts  and 
designs  my  own,  but  I  work  over,  finish,  and  re- 
touch the  whole  in  such  a  manner,  that  if  the 
undertaking  confided  to  me  does  not  succeed, 
I  myself  am  content  to  incur  your  anger,  which 
would  cause  me  as  much  grief  as  the  loss  of  a 
thousand  lives."  Once  again  the  impatient  Pon- 
tiff said,  "This  work  protracts  itself  a  long  while. 
If  it  had  been  distributed  among  the  other  Bolo- 
gnese,  it  would  already  have  been  finished."  The 
artist  answered,  "It  would  indeed  have  been 
finished,  but  then  it  would  not  have  been  from  the 
hand  of  Guido." 

Having  hastened  the  undertaking,  much  against 
his  inclination,  Guido  completed  it  in  seven  months. 
The  chapel  was  opened  late  in  1 6 1  o,  to  the  great 
delight  of  the  Pope ;  and  the  Roman  Court 
hastened  thither  to  admire  and  praise  the  new 
achievement  as  a  marvel  of  art.     Malvasia  says  that 


32  GUIDO. 

he  cannot  indorse  their  verdict  that  the  chapel- 
frescos  surpassed  Angelo's  '  Last  Judgment '  and 
Caracci's  frescos  in  the  Farnese  Gallery,  but  frank- 
ly adds  that  if  indeed  it  falls  below  these  in  majesty 
and  grandeur,  it  equally  surpasses  them  in  tender- 
ness and  nobility.  "  Who  will  say  that  an  earthly 
pencil  ever  executed  those  stories,  representing  the 
wonderful  deeds  of  the  great  Mother  of  God,  so 
admirably  designed  and  colored?  Who  does  not 
feel  himself  ravished  with  the  sweetest  ecstasies  by 
the  celestial  view  of  so  many  angels,  some  sustain- 
ing and  assisting  the  Divine  Father,  others  with 
various  instruments  celebrating  the  praises  of  her 
who,  in  white  robes,  and  near  the  Father  himself, 
astitit  Regina  a  dextris  suis  ?  "  The  Pope  entitled 
Guide's  pictures  "  a  little  model  on  earth  of  the 
glory  which  shall  be  enjoyed  in  heaven ; "  and 
Cardinal  Barberini,  who  afterwards  became  Pope 
Urban  VIII.,  wrote  a  Latin  sonnet  in  praise  of 
them. 

The  paintings  in  the  Quirinal  Palace  had  hardly 
been  completed,  when  the  Pope  engaged  Guido  to 
labor  on  his  new  chapel,  opposite  the  sumptuous 
Sixtine  Chapel,  in  the  Basilica  of  Santa  Maria  Mag- 
giore.     The  chief  direction  of  the  decorations  here 


WEARY  OF  ROME.  33 

was  devolved  upon  the  Cavaliere  d'Arpino,  who 
pressed  forward  the  work  with  a  speed  which  was 
as  agreeable  to  the  Pope  as  was  the  excellence  of 
the  masters  engaged  thereon.  It  was  proposed 
that  the  painter  wlio  finished  his  task  first  should 
be  rewarded  with  a  chain  of  gold,  but  Guido  said  : 
"  What  an  absurdity  !  Are  we  horses,  that  the 
noblest  should  be  he  who  first  reaches  the  goal  ? 
It  is  enough  for  me  not  to  be  the  last  in  well-doing, 
and  it  is  of  httle  importance  who  is  last  in  finish- 
ing." Guido  was  at  this  time  at  cross-purposes 
with  the  Papal  Treasurer,  who  told  him,  one  day, 
that  his  pretensions  were  immoderate,  and  that  he 
showed  little  discretion  in  not  remitting  them ;  add- 
ing that  if  such  prices  were  to  be  paid,  he  himself 
would  renounce  his  prelacy,  and  become  a  painter. 
"  I  do  not  quite  know,"  answered  the  artist,  "  if 
you  could  succeed  in  that :  I  only  know  that  as  a 
prelate  I  should  probably  do  better  than  you,  at 
least  in  the  duty  of  paying  salaries." 

In  spite  of  his  successes  in  art,  Guido  at  last 
grew  weary  of  the  envy  and  malice  of  his  adversa- 
ries, and  moreover  felt  a  deep  grief  at  the  death  of 
his  old  master,  Annibale  Caracci.  Being  also  thor- 
oughly disgusted  with  his  treatment  by  the  treasurer, 


34  GUIDO. 

Cardinal  Spinola,  he  resolved  to  leave  .he  city,  and 
the  patronage  of  a  Pontiff  who  failed  to  protect  his 
interests ;  and  having  adjusted  his  household,  and 
settled  his  account  at  the  bank,  he  suddenly  de- 
parted for  Bologna. 


In  the  Barberini  Palace,  at  Rome,  there  is  a  mar- 
vellous portrait,  which  has  been  supposed  to  repre- 
sent Beatrice  Cenci,  a  beautiful  Roman  maiden  of 
noble  family,  who  was  executed  in  1599  for  a  justi- 
fiable parricide.  This  picture  is  attributed  to  the 
pencil  of  Guido,  and,  in  the  innumerable  copies  of 
it  which  have  been  scattered  throughout  the  world, 
his  name  is  ever  thus  coupled  with  that  of  the  un- 
fortunate Beatrice,  so  that  it  is  hardly  too  much  to 
say  that  his  fame  in  modem  times  is  mainly  based 
on  this  wonderful  work.  I  deplore  the  destmctive 
criticism  of  our  practical  age,  and  mourn  the  beau- 
tiful legends  which  have  been  swept  away,  one  by 
one,  by  the  dry  breath  of  modern  investigations ; 
and  yet,  in  view  of  the  facts  hereinafter  set  forth, 
I  cannot  accept  the  putative  title  of  this  portrait, 
or  attribute  it  to  Guido's  hand. 

The  tradition  has  two  forms,  the  first  of  which 


THE  SO-CALLED  ' BEATRLCE:  35 

is  that  Guido  was  introduced  into  Beatrice's  cell, 
on  the  night  before  her  execution,  by  her  lawyer^ 
and  in  the  disguise  of  a  legal  Avriter.  Perceiving 
him  to  be  making  a  furtive  sketch  of  her,  the  lady 
demanded  to  know  who  he  was,  and  then  professed 
her  pleasure  at  being  portrayed  by  "  the  celebrated 
Signor  Guido."  But  can  we  suppose  that  the 
devoted  lawyer  Farinacci  would  have  intruded  upon 
his  tortured  client's  last  night  on  earth  with  a  paltiy 
device  of  surreptitious  picture-making,  or  that  the 
doomed  princess  would  have  given  up  a  part  of 
those  few  solemn  hours  to  posing  before  an  artist  ? 
Would  Guido  himself,  the  tender-hearted,  frank, 
and  devout  youth,  have  descended  so  low  as  to 
steal  her  portrait,  even  if  he  could  ?  Furthermore, 
if  Beatrice  and  Farinacci  can  be  supposed  to  have 
entertained  such  an  idea,  the  lawyer  would  un- 
doubtedly have  chosen  an  artist  of  some  note,  and 
not  an  unknown  provincial  youth,  not  twenty-five 
years  old,  and  hardly  yet  free  from  his  drawings 
school. 

The  second  form  of  the  tradition  is  that  Guido 
sketched  her  while  on  her  way  to  the  scaffold,  and 
afterwards  made  an  exact  portrait  from  the  draw- 
ing.    But  such  a  picture,  full  of  subtle  and  pro- 


36  GUIDO. 

found  expression,  could  not  have  been  made  during 
the  rapid  and  confused  march  of  the  Papal  guards, 
attacked  as  they  were,  at  various  points,  by  rescuing 
parties  with  drawn  swords.  Furthermore,  the  cos- 
tume, as  well  as  the  features,  should  have  been 
exactly  delineated,  and  the  reputed  portrait  has 
white  drapery,  while  Beatrice  was  executed  in  gar- 
ments of  gray  and  violet. 

Wherefore,  even  if  Guido  was  in  Rome  when  the 
Cenci  family  were  put  to  death,  it  seems  unlikely 
that  he  could  have  had  the  connection  with  them 
that  the  tradition  claims. 

But  Guido  did  not  visit  Rome  until  several  years 
after  the  execution  of  Beatrice,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  occurred  in  1599.  The  date  of  liis  first  arri- 
val in  the  Eternal  City  is  indeed  involved  in  great 
obscurity,  and  the  chronology  of  his  subsequent 
life  is  equally  vague  and  uncertain.  The  Italian 
biographers,  however,  agree  in  the  statements  tliat 
he  entered  the  school  of  the  Caracci  in  1595, 
where  he  had  to  unlearn  his  former  manner,  and 
acquire  that  of  his  new  masters,  devoting  some 
years  to  this  task.  In  1598  he  was  so  little  known 
that  he  could  only  obtain  a  part  of  the  civic  fres- 
cos in  his  native  town,  with  great  difficulty,  and  aa 


THE  SO-CALLED  'BEATRLCE:  37 

a  compromise  candidate  between  two  famous  mas- 
ters ;  and  even  then  he  was  so  far  from  grounded 
in  his  art  that  he  had  to  take  new  lessons  in  fresco- 
painting.  Yet,  only  a  year  later,  according  to  the 
tradition  of  the  portrait,  he  was  firmly  established 
and  highly  renowned  in  Rome,  whi<"h  was  then  the 
home  of  many  celebrated  artists.  Again,  if  he 
was  present  at  the  Cenci  execution,  it  must  have 
been  for  a  flying  visit,  for  during  the  next  year  he 
is  again  found  at  Bologna,  where  he  painted  '  The 
Reading  Carthusian,'  and  signed  it  as  executed  "in 
his  twenty-fifth  year."  He  is  also  credited  with 
having  executed  a  long  line  of  pictures,  several  of 
which  are  still  extant,  between  1598  and  his  first 
departure  for  Rome  ;  and  in  those  days  he  worked 
very  slowly,  as  Pope  Paul  V.  often  complained. 
Four  conspicuous  authorities,  Passeri,  Rosini,  Lan- 
don,  and  Bolognini-Amorini,  state  that  he  first  en- 
tered Rome  between  1610  and  161 2,  but  continue 
and  confuse  their  narratives  by  describing  his 
ensuing  and  prolonged  difficulties  with  Caravag- 
gio  and  Annibale  Caracci,  both  of  whom  died  in 
1609.  It  is  also  well  known  that  he  finished  the 
Quirinal  frescos  in  16 10,  and  that  these  were  the 
last  of  four  great  commissions  which  he  then  exe- 


38  GUIDO. 

cuted  in  Rome.  All  biographers  agree  that  his 
first  Roman  patrons  were  Paul  V.  and  Cardinal 
Scipione  Borghese,  both  of  whom  arrived  at  their 
ecclesiastical  dignities  in  1605,  so  that  his  amval 
could  hardly  have  been  before  that  date.  It  there- 
fore seems  likely  that  he  first  came  to  Rome  about 
1605  or  1606,  and  remained  four  or  five  years. 

That  the  Barberini  picture  is  not  a  portrait  of 
Beatrice  is  proven  by  a  contemporary  manuscript 
in  the  Cenci  archives,  which  minutely  describes  her 
appearance ;  and,  besides  several  other  points  of 
dissimilarity  with  the  painting,  states  that  she  had 
dimpled  cheeks  and  wonderful  blue  eyes,  while  the 
portrait  has  smooth  and  undimpled  cheeks  and 
hazel  eyes.  In  view  of  these  facts  it  cannot  even 
be  granted  that  the  picture  is  a  reminiscent  or  an 
ideal  work,  executed  by  Guido  in  his  later  years, 
especially  since  there  was  a  veritable  and  attested 
portrait  of  Beatrice  at  that  time  in  the  Villa  Pamfili, 
which  would  have  enabled  him  to  avoid  such  great 
mistakes  as  to  her  features.  The  Barberini  picture 
was  in  the  possession  of  the  Colonna  family  from  a 
remote  date  until  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  and  no  record  remains  among  the  Colonna 
archives  as  \yi  its  history  or  origin. 


THE  'BEATRICE:  39 

Bunsen  (in  his  Beschreibung  der  Stadt  Rom) 
says  that  the  "  so  called  "  Cenci  portrait  is  "  falsely 
ascribed  to  Guido ;  "  and  Nagler  (in  the  Kunstler- 
Lexicon)  takes  the  same  ground.  Burckhardt's 
Der  Cicerone  speaks  of  it  as  "  the  so-called  Cenci, 
professedly  by  Guido."  Guerazzi,  the  author  of 
the  romance  of  Beatrice  Cenci,  naturally  makes  all 
that  he  can  out  of  the  portrait,  and  that  is,  that  it 
is  "  referred  to  Guido's  pencil  by  a  compassionate 
tradition"  {pietosa  tradizione) , -which,  is  hardly  a 
sufficient  ground  on  which  to  base  the  claim,  con- 
sidering how  absolute  is  the  historical  and  internal 
evidence  which  establishes  as  Guido's  hundreds  of 
his  minor  pictures.  Story  doubts  that  the  por- 
trait is  of  Beatrice,  or  by  Guido,  and  gives  strong 
reasons  for  his  refusal  to  accept  the  common  belief. 
But  even  more  weighty  than  these  modern  nega- 
tions are  the  remarkable  silences  of  the  contempo- 
rary biographers  of  the  master,  who  neither  allude 
to  the  Cenci  affair,  nor  speak  of  any  portrait 
which  bears  resemblance  to  the  one  now  m 
question.  Malvasia  was  Guido's  intimate  friend, 
and  he  gives  a  long  list  of  his  pictures,  including 
those  then  in  the  Colonna  and  Barberini  Palaces, 
but  there  is  no  allusion  to  a  work  of  this  character 


40  GUIDO. 

If  he  had  painted  the  so-called  Beatrice,  the  rare 
excellence  thereof  would  have  insured  it  conspicu- 
ous mention  in  this  list. 

How,  then,  did  the  name  of  Beatrice  Cenci 
become  attached  to  the  Barberini  portrait?  The 
answer  to  this  question  is  not  difficult  to  those 
who  know  the  intensely  objective  character  of  the 
Roman  folk-lore,  and  the  absolute  need  which  it 
feels  of  outward  and  visible  objects  for  attesta- 
tion. Did  the  Lord  Christ  appear  to  St.  Peter  on 
the  Appian  Way  ?  Undoubtedly,  for  the  prints  of 
His  sacred  feet  in  the  rock  are  still  to  be  seen  at  the 
Church  of  St.  Sebastian.  Was  St.  Paul  beheaded 
near  the  Ostian  Road?  Behold,  there  still  flow 
the  three  marvellous  fountains,  which  mark  the 
places  where  his  head  bounded  along  the  ground. 

The  pathetic  story  of  the  Cenci  was  in  all  hearts ; 
and  in  later  years,  when  it  became  needful  to  find 
some  visible  symbol  thereof,  the  mysterious  and 
pathetic  face  in  the  Colonna  Palace  was  gradually 
thus  elected,  perhaps  at  first  only  hypothetically. 
In  1 8 19  Shelley  also  identified  it,  in  his  tragedy 
of  The  Cenci,  and  Hawthorne,  Dickens,  Eaton, 
and  those  who  came  after,  have  told  the  tale  as  it 
was  told  to  them. 


THE  '  BEA  trice:  4? 

But  who  was  the  lady  whose  features  were  thus 
marvellously  portrayed  ?  And  who  was  the  mastei 
of  such  profound  and  subtle  skill,  whose  brush 
prepared  this  amazing  picture?  These,  indeed, 
are  questions  which  may  never  be  answered. 


42  GUJDO. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Mercantile  Schemes.  — '  The  Massacre  of  the  Innocents.'  —  RecaJ 
to  Rome. — A  Triumph.  —  The  Pope's  Kindness. — Frescos 
at  Santa  Maria  Maggiore. 

GuiDO  returned  to  Bologna  in  1610,  and  resolved 
to  abandon  his  profession.  "  Why  should  I  wish," 
he  said,  "  to  waste  my  days  in  wrangling  with  nobles 
and  contesting  with  court-officials,  when  I  ought  to 
work  with  gladness  and  quietness  of  soul  ?  What 
outcries  do  I  hear  every  hour,  about  my  long 
delays,  or  the  exorbitance  of  my  prices  !  In  little 
more  than  three  years  I  have  completed  four  grand 
works,  each  of  which  required  all  that  time  to  do 
it  justice,  yet,  renouncing  every  opportunity,  and 
imperilling  my  health,  I  have  done  more  than 
seemed  ^  possible.  They  promised  me  seas  and 
mountains,  yet  not  only  is  the  debt  unpaid,  but 
even  my  pension  is  complained  of,  which  they 
would  not  do  in  the  case  of  a  lackey.  I  have 
in  Primi's  bank  2,000  crowns,  and  of  this  800  are 
my  profits,   with   which   I   do   not   know   how   I 


FORSAKING  ART.  43 

shall  acquire  the  countships  and  marquisates  of 
which  they  are  dreaming.  In  France  and  in  Spain 
our  Primaticcios  and  Tibaldis  have  won  titles  and 
estates ;  but  not  among  us,  where  we  see  a  Raphael 
dying,  with  the  Government  owing  him  so  many 
thousand  crowns  that  it  seems  more  easy  to  g^ive 
him  a  cardinal's  hat  than  to  pay  the  debt ;  or  where 
a  wretched  pension  was  denied  to  the  son  of  Man- 
tegna,  that  great  artist  who  was  sought  with  such 
solicitations  ;  or  where  the  unhappy  Annibale  Car- 
acci,  in  our  own  days,  is  so  evilly  entreated  that  he 
is  driven  to  a  mournful  death." 

These  were  the  sad  and  captious  sentiments 
which  Guido  often  expressed  to  his  friends  and 
admirers,  who  came  to  congratulate  him  on  his 
happy  return  and  on  his  bygone  successes  at  court. 
He  now  gave  himself  entirely  to  the  arrangement 
of  the  famous  pictures  and  antiques  that  he  had 
brought  from  Rome ;  and  having  paid  the  great 
price  of  2,000  crowns  for  other  works  of  art,  he 
sent  out  word  that  he  should  paint  no  more, 
except  for  his  own  amusement,  but  should  take  up 
the  traffic  in  ancient  pictures  and  designs.  He 
said  that  he  had  frequently  seen  these  articles  pass 
through  the  hands  of  the  dilettants,  and  enter  the 


44  GUIDO. 

galleries  of  England,  France,  and  Holland,  and 
that  the  sales  were  attended  with  great  profit  to 
the  merchants.  But  Dionisio  Calvart,  his  old  njas- 
ter,  upbraided  him,  with  a  paternal  freedom,  saying  : 
"  Such  business  as  this  is  unworthy  of  your  genius, 
and  is  fit  only  for  tricksters  and  barterers."  Guido's 
rivals,  who  had  been  dismayed  at  his  appearance  in 
Bologna,  now  reported  that  he  had  done  all  his 
wonderful  works  far  away,  at  Rome,  but  when  he 
returned  home  he  became  powerless ;  that  he  dared 
not  risk  a  comparison  with  Lodovico,  or  even  with 
Brizio  and  Garbieri ;  nay,  but  he  shrank  from  com- 
peting with  the  youth  Guercino,  whom  the  Bolo- 
gnese  were  then  exalting  to  the  stars.  They  also 
spread  a  report  that  he  was  a  man  of  arrogant  pre- 
tensions, full  of  self-conceit  and  confidence,  but 
feeble  in  execution. 

At  last  Guido  took  up  his  brush,  as  an  efficient 
weapon  against  these  persecutors,  and  accepted 
every  commission  that  was  offered  him.  He  worked 
rapidly,  with  a  certain  masterly  abandon,  using 
methods  and  artifices  which  were  esteemed  as 
novel,  because  they  wfere  not  known  in  the  Roman 
and  Lombard  schools.  But  Tintoretto  practised 
the   same   devices,  and   Guido  had  leampd  them 


BOLOGNA'S  JEWELS.  45 

while  frescoing  the  Quirinal  Chapel.  He  executed 
half-length  figures  for  fifteen  crowns  each ;  and  for 
a  trifling  sum  painted  a  Madonna  and  Child,  fof 
the  Marquis  Angelelli. 

His  first  great  work  here  was  '  The  Massacre  of 
the  Innocents,'  for  the  Berb  Chapel,  in  San  Do- 
menico,  in  which  he  endeavored  to  show  his  com- 
petitors, who  had  published  abroad  that  he  was  good 
only  at  painting  single  figures,  that  he  possessed 
equal  ability  in  composing  groups.  The  mingled 
power  and  tenderness  of  this  picture,  and  the  vigor 
and  skill  with  which  such  a  crowd  of  life-size  figures 
are  grouped  in  so  small  a  space,  have  made  it  a 
favorite  subject  of  study  with  painters,  and  it  has 
been  copied  hundreds  of  times.  Stefanoni,  Bolo- 
gnini,  and  others  engraved  this  work ;  and  Marini 
composed  a  madrigal  in  its  honor.  It  was  taken  to 
Paris  by  Napoleon's  marshals,  but  is  now  preserved 
in  the  Bolognese  Pinacoteca, 

His  next  work  was  the  fresco  of '  The  Transfig- 
uration of  St.  Dominic,'  in  the  church  and  over  the 
tomb  of  that  saint,  to  which  he  was  called  by  the 
clergy  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  people,  who 
insisted  that  no  one  but  Guido  should  undertake 
such  a  sacred  task.     Valesio  had  abready  firescoed 


46  GUI  DO. 

in  this  place,  and  the  monks  erased  his  wiork,  jut 
he  cheerily  said,  "  Who  would  not  give  iip  a  good 
thing  for  a  better  one,  or  prefer  Tasso  to  Ariosto?  " 
In  the  mean  time  the  Pope  wished  to  see  Guido's 
excellent  achievements  in  the  new  chapel,  and 
when  he  heard  that  the  artist  was  no  longer  in 
Rome,  and  that  he  had  gone  away  so  thoroughly 
dissatisfied  as  to  have  sworn  never  to  set  foot  there 
again,  he  at  first  grieved  greatly,  and  then  flew  into 
a  frenzy  of  rage.  The  Cardinal-Nephew  was  sum- 
moned to  his  presence,  and  endeavored  to  condone 
the  offence  ^of  the  Treasurer  by  stigmatizing  Guido 
as  "wishing  to  absorb  more  money  than  all  the 
others  together,  laggardly  in  his  work,  incapable 
in  judgment,  and  impertinent  in  manner."  "No 
more,  no  more,"  cried  the  Pope ;  "  we  know  our 
Guido  very  well,  and  have  always  found  him  very 
courteous  and  modest.  If  the  painter  demanded 
too  much,  what  business  was  it  of  the  Treasurer's? 
Did  he  pay  it  out  of  his  o\vn  money?  Let  Guido 
be  given  whatever  he  demands,  if  he  will  jeturn ; 
for  it  does  not  comport  with  our  reputation  to  lose 
such  a  great  man  for  the  motive  of  avarice.  Write 
to  our  Legate  at  Bologna  to  send  him  back  to  us, 
pledging  our  word  to  furnish  him  with  all  that  he 


AN  ANGRY  CARDINAL.  47 

desires."  Thus  Arpino  reported  the  words  of  the 
Pope,  as  they  were  related  to  him  by  Cardinal 
Borghese. 

The  Papal  mandate  was  borne  to  Guido  while 
he  was  frescoing  the  Chapel  of  St.  Dominic,  by  the 
Cardinal-Legate  himself,  who  was  not  politic  enough 
to  treat  with  dexterity  and  address  t^-^  artist's 
refusals,  and  spoke  menacingly  to  him.  Where- 
upon Guido  boldly  answered  :  "  I  absolutely  will 
not  go  to  Rome ;  I  had  rather  be  torn  to  pieces. 
It  is  not  that  I  do  not  desire  once  more  to  kiss  the 
feet  of  the  Pope,  my  most  benign  Prince,  to  whom 
I  gladly  acknowledge  that  all  my  honor  and  repu- 
tation are  due.  But  his  Ministers,  continually  arro- 
gating to  themselves  more  than  they  should,  do 
such  things  as  I  know  are  not  only  not  intended  by 
His  Hohness,  but  are  also  displeasing  to  him." 
These  words  offended  the  Cardinal- Legate  so  deep- 
ly that  he  attempted  to  throw  the  artist  into  prison. 
But  Guido  had  been  invited  by  the  Kings  of  France 
and  Spain  to  reside  at  their  courts,  and  he  resolved 
to  expatriate  himself  rather  than  become  the  inmate 
of  a  Bolognese  dungeon.  He  therefore  hid  himself, 
until  opportunity  should  arise  for  him  to  fly  from 
the  city.     But  the  Marquis  Facchenetti  pointed  out 


48  GUIDO. 

to  His  Eminence  how  inexpedient  it  M'ould  be  to 
inflict  such  a  rigorous  punishment  for  so  slight  a 
cause.  "Prisons  are  for  the  wicked,"  said  the 
Marquis,  "  not  for  the  virtuous  ;  a  man  so  eminent 
as  Guido  merits  no  chains  but  those  of  gold.  That 
skill  which  has  made  him  unique  in  the  world, 
exempts  him  from  the  penalties  which  might  be 
inflicted  on  others."  The  noble  Facchenetti  then 
sought  out  Guido,  and  gained  him  over  with  sweet 
words ;  showing  him  that  virtue  could  not  always 
contend  against  force,  and  that  sometimes  it  ought 
to  yield  before  the  extravagances  of  the  age,  in 
order  to  shine  gloriously  in  more  happy  seasons. 
"This,"  said  he,  "is  an  affair  concerning  your 
natural  Prince,  and  not  only  that,  but  a  Prince- 
Pontiff,  before  whose  throne  bow  even  those  royal 
crowns  to  whose  protection  you  wish  to  flee ;  so 
that  without  the  participation  of  His  Holiness  you 
could  find  no  refuge  there.  Herein  you  must 
make  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  return  voluntarily, 
instead  of  being  led  back  by  force.  It  will  indeed 
redound  greatly  to  your  honor  and  advantage,  and 
you  shall  be  under  no  further  obligations  to  the 
Ministers." 

Guido  accepted  the  advice  of  his  noble  protect- 


A  ROMAN-  TRIUMPH.  49 

or,  and  forthwith  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Rome, 
attended  by  Vincenzo  Rossi,  a  young  pupil  of  Cal- 
vart.  He  also  took  with  him  his  beloved  mother, 
that  she  too  might  enjoy  the  splendors  of  the  Papal 
city,  and  the  honrirs  which  were  bestowed  upon  her 
son. 

As  he  approached  Rome,  over  the  ancient  Fla- 
minian  Way,  he  was  met,  beyond  the  Ponte  MoUe, 
by  a  long  line  of  carriages  pertaining  to  the  Roman 
cardinals  and  princes,  who  vied  with  each  other  for 
the  honor  of  bearing  him  into  the  city.  When  he 
appeared  before  the  Pope,  no  sooner  had  he  uttered 
the  words,  "  Most  Blessed  Father,"  in  beginning  to 
excuse  his  refractory  conduct,  than  Paul  spared 
him  further  humihation  by  saying  (as  Guido  often 
told  Malvasia),  "What  have  we  done  to  you,  Sig- 
nore  Guido,  that  you  should  desert  us  in  such  a 
way,  when  we  had  the  most  need  of  your  work? 
If  you  have  been  shabbily  treated,  it  was  not  our 
intention,  and  it  was  not  a  great  thing  to  have 
mentioned  it  to  us.  Were  you  denied  leave  to 
speak  to  us,  and  with  a  familiarity  conceded  to  but 
very  few  ?  Come,  now,  count  it  all  as  never  having 
happened,  and  speak  no  more  of  it.  Mind  to 
serve  us,  and  insure  that  we  are  satisfied  with  you, 


50  GUIDO. 

and  you  shall  not  have  need  to  envy  any  one  in 
this  court."  Guido  afterwards  said  that  he  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  throne,  deeply  affected  and  con- 
fused, for  although  the  contumacious  obstinacy 
of  Michael  Angelo  was  reproved  with  equal  mild- 
ness by  Julius  II.,  yet  the  grim  aspect  of  that  Pon- 
tiff made  him  tremble;  " Whereas  ' Paul  V.,  in 
speaking  to  me,  showed  a  face  so  composed,  and 
spoke  with  such  gentleness,  that  all  my  inward 
parts  were  moved,  and  my  heart  was  broken, 
when  I  thought  how  I  had  held  him  in  dis- 
pleasure." 

The  artist  was  quickly  and  most  liberally  remu- 
nerated for  his  past  labors  :  a  carriage  was  placed 
at  his  disposal ;  frequently  various  delicate  articles 
of  food  were  sent  to  him,  with  two  kinds  of  wine 
every  morning  from  the  Papal  cellars.  It  was  also 
arranged  that  he  should  draw  eighty  crowns  a  fort- 
night from  the  banker,  besides  his  usual  pension. 
He  installed  his  mother  as  mistress  of  a  house  in 
the  Via  di  Capo  le  Case,  between  the  Piazza  di 
Spagna  and  the  Quirinal ;  and  set  up  a  commo- 
dious, establishment  for  himself,  in  the  Ripctta. 
Francesco,  the  Cardinal  Regnant,  came  here  so 
f«-equently  to  his  studio,  that  the  master  at  last  used 


HOSTILE  NOBLES.  51 

to  retire  into  another  room,  and  leave  word  that  he- 
was  out,  since  he  held  that  so  conspicuous  a  favor 
was  full  of  constraint. 

But  all  these  honors  did  not  fall  upon  Guide 
without  causing  the  courtiers  to  murmur  at  such 
■  promotion  shown  to  a  mere  painter,  who,  they  said, 
enjoyed  greater  consideration  than  princes,  and 
was  treated  more  kindly  in  proportion  as  he  served 
worse.  The  Treasurer,  Spinola,  made  an  outcry 
against  him,  charging  that  his  work  at  Santa  Maria 
Maggiore  was  perversely  delayed,  that  he  might 
the  longer  draw  his  pension.  "  The  Pope  is  too 
good  and  too  indulgent,"  said  Spinola:  "unless 
this  fellow  is  stimulated  with  the  same  threat  which 
Pope  Julius  made  to  Michael  Angelo,  to  have  him 
thrown  do\vn  from  his  painting-stage  unless  he 
makes  more  haste,  he  will  never  live  to  see  the  end 
of  this  work." 

But  the  chapel  was  finished  in  due  time,  and  the 
Pope  visited  it  with  a  cortege  of  .princes  and  prel- 
ates, and  said,  "  Now  we  know  well  if  our  Guido  has 
told  us  truly."  "  It  is  true,  most  Blessed  Father," 
said  Arpino,  "  that  the  work  followed  his  disposition 
nearly;  but  it  cannot  be  done  thus,  and  quickly." 
The  Pope  continued  to  admire  and  praise  the  pic- 


52  GUIDO. 

tures,  and  Arpino  added,  "  Ours  are  painted  in  the 
manner  of  men,  but  Guide's  are  the  works  of  an 
angel."  Paul  repUed,  "  He  is  a  great  man,  it  can- 
not be  denied."  The  master  was  advised  to  stay 
some  time  at  court,  since  the  applause  attending 
his  last  work  appeared  to  be  repairing  the  preju- 
dices of  the  long  delay  and  hea\'y  expense.  Ar- 
pino asserted  that  he  had  heard  the  Pope  say 
that  it  was  necessary  now  to  provide  Guido  with  a 
pension,  and  to  honor  him  with  the  rank  of  a 
knight.  But,  finding  himself  cut  off  unseasonably 
from  his  allowance  at  the  banker's,  and  desiring  to 
avoid  further  trouble  with  the  Ministers,  he  de- 
parted suddenly  from  Rome,  and  returned  into  his 
own  country. 

His  first  act  on  arriving  at  Bologna  was  a  beau- 
tiful tribute  of  respect.  Wending  his  way  to  the 
studio  of  his  old  master,  Dionisio  Calvart,  even 
as  he  had  in  early  years  been  wont  to  do,  he  for- 
mally asked  for  the  venerable  artist's  counsel  and 
correction. 


i 


i 


THE  GREA  T  PIE TA.  S3 


CHAPTER  IV. 

(Vt  Bologna.  —  The  Pieti,  —  The  Assumption,  for  3«noa. —  Man- 
tuan  Commissions.  —  At  Ravenna  and  Naples.  —  Once  more  at 
Rome.  — '  The  Archangel  Michael.' 

GuiDO  now  resumed  his  frescoing  in  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Dominic,  which,  when  uncovered,  appeared, 
says  the  old  chronicler,  "precisely  as  he  repre- 
sented it,  a  piece  torn  out  of  Paradise."  The 
paintings  were  long  afterwards  the  models  for  fres- 
co-painters, and  were  closely  studied  even  by 
Albano.  Another  famous  composition  was  paint- 
ed by  Guido  about  this  time,  for  the  altar  of  the 
Leoni  family,  in  St.  Thomas's  Church.  During  the 
French  Revolution,  this  picture  was  cut  in  pieces, 
which  were  sold  to  various  amateurs.  Still  another 
great  altar-piece  of  this  period  was  that  of  '  The 
Holy  Trinity,'  which  Guido  executed  in  twenty- 
seven  days  for  the  new  Pellegrini  Church  at  Rome. 

The  Senate  of  Bologna  commissioned  Guido  to 
paint  the  Pieta  and  four  patron  saints  of  the  city  ; 
and   he  began  his  work  by  sketching  the  figure? 


54  GUI  DO. 

and  putting  them  in  the  assigned  places,  in  ordei 
that  he  might  get  the  right  effect  of  distance. 
When  this  painting  was  completed,  it  showed 
to  the  Caracci  sect  that  he  could  vary  his  style 
from  the  delicate  to  the  savage,  and  could  impart 
an  absolutely  terrifying  expression  to  his  figures. 
The  Pieta  was  finished  in  November,  1616,  and  the 
Senate  paid  the  artist  450  crowns,  and  then  or- 
dered the  Gonfaloniere  to  present  him  also  with 
a  gold  chain  and  medal. 

In  161 8  there  came  an  order  from  Genoa,  that 
one  of  the  best  artists  of  Bologna  should  b^- 
engaged  to  paint  a  picture  of  the  Assumption. 
Guido  was  suggested  on  all  sides  as  the  one  who 
ought  to  execute  it,  but  he  demanded  the  enor- 
mous price  of  1,000  crowns,  though  Lodovico 
offered  to  do  the  work  for  500  crowns.  The 
younger  painter  received  the  commission,  and 
made  Lodovico  aware  that  he  had  now  found  how 
to  get  more  than  ten  crowns  for  his  pictures.  In 
this  work  Guido  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to 
show  the  depth  of  his  researches  and  the  excel- 
lence of  his  art,  designing  and  arranging  the  Apos- 
tles in  varying  and  unaccustomed  ways,  but  all  in 
such  harmony  that  the  voice  of  envy  was  silent, 


GUIDO'S  MASTER.  55 

and  only  high  encomiums  were  heard.  When  it 
was  exposed  to  public  view  in  the  studio,  the  crowd 
was  so  great  that  it  was  necessary  to  protect  the 
picture  by  refusing  the  people  admittance  except 
one  by  one ;  and  here  the  work  was  examined 
and  praised  by  the  foremost  artists  of  Bologna. 
Among  the  most  delighted  visitors  was  old  Dioni- 
sio  Calvart,  for  whom  Guido  arranged  a  seat,  and 
ordered  his  assistants  to  serve  him  with  attention, 
"  For  he  was  my  first  and  true  master,  to  whom  I 
acknowledge  my  indebtedness  for  all  that  I  know." 
Then  Guido  went  out  and  hid  himself,  for  he  had 
not  the  heart  to  stay  and  hear  the  praises  which 
awaited  him ;  but  even  this  did  not  avail  to  protect 
him  from  confusion,  for  Calvart  forced  his  way  in 
to  his  old  pupil's  retreat,  crying,  "  O  my  Guido,  my 
Guido,  blessed  be  thy  hands  !  "  Seizing  then  those 
hands,  he  pressed  them  between  his  own,  and  ten- 
derly kissed  them,  and  bathed  them  with  tears. 
"You  speak  thus,"  said  Guido,  "to  encourage  me, 
and  from  inborn  good  nature.  I  beseech  you 
rather  to  show  me  my  defects,  so  that  I  may  not 
only  correct  them  in  this  work,  but  in  the  future 
absta'.n  from  them  in  others,  and  thus  become  more 
worthy  of  your  love,  and  do  honor  to  you  as  my 
master." 


56  GUIDO. 

Lodovico  Caracci  also  came  in  the  crowd,  and 
after  he  had  carefully  studied  the  picture,  he  said 
to  his  followers,  "  In  this  work  Guido  has  surpassed 
himself;  and  gives  matter  for  thought  to  all  who 
use  the  brush."  Barbieri,  Guercino,  and  Domeni- 
chino  also  visited  the  studio,  and  devoted  hours 
to  contemplating  the  new  achievement.  The 
former  concluded  that  such  a  noble  manner  was 
a  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  artist  himself, 
connatural  with  him,  and  hence  not  imitable ; 
and  Domenichino  reported  that  he  considered  it 
the  most  perfect  manner,  but  that  it  came  by 
nature,  and  not  by  study  nor  the  rules  of  art. 

During  all  these  visits  Guido  remained  hidden 
in  a  little  room  adjap ent,  whose  door  was  covered 
from  observation  by  the  picture  itself;  and  this  he 
did,  not  only  to  be  removed  from  fulsome  compli- 
ments, but  also  to  note  in  what  regards  fault  was 
found.  He  was  indeed  much  troubled  by  the  com- 
ments of  Barbieri  and  Domenichino,  and  said : 
"  What  do  they  mean  by  '  a  peculiar  characteristic, 
a  connatural  virtue  '  ?  These  gifts  are  acquired  by 
incessant  study,  and  wearisome  labors  :  they  are 
not  found  by  chance,  nor  inherited  while  sleeping. 
What  '  characteristic  '  ?      It  is  no  other  than   the 


CLASSIC  STUDY.  SI 

enforced  and  disciplined  habit  of  repeated  obser- 
vations on  the  choice  of  the  most  good  and  the 
most  beautiful.  These  perfect  ideas,  which  they 
say  are  revealed  to  me  in  beatific  visions,  are  made 
known  to  whosoever  seeks  them,  and  are  chiefly 
apparent  in  the  beautiful  heads  of  the  antique  stat- 
ues ;  and  the  eight  years  study  which  I  have  given 
to  these,  fortifying  myself  in  their  matchless  har- 
mony, is  the  only  source  of  these  so-called  mira- 
cles of  art.  Glance  at  my  early  works,  and  say  if 
such  feebleness  was  prophetic  of  my  progress,  and 
the  point  to  which  I  have  arrived.  I  have  studied 
more  than  these  others  have  ever  done,  denying  to 
my  weariness  the  needful  repose  of  the  night,  and 
hastening  to  my  work  before  I  had  taken  food 
enough  for  my  wants." 

Between  1614  and  1620  Guido  was  invited  by 
the  Duke  of  Mantua  to  visit  his  court,  and  paint 
certain  frescos.  But  the  master  was  then  so  busily 
engaged  that  he  sent  his  best  pupils,  Gessi  and 
bemenn,  vaunting  that  they  could  execute  any 
great  work,  and  helping  them  only  by  verbal  advice. 
At  a  later  day  he  painted  four  great  pictures  for  the 
Duke,  showing  scenes  in  the  life  of  Hercules. 
These  were  presented  to  King  Charles  I.  of  Eng- 


58  GUIDO. 

land,  and  after  the  English  Revolution  found  their 
way  into  France,  where  they  are  still  preserved,  at 
the  Louvre. 

During  the  same  period  Guido  was  urged  to  visit 
Ravenna,  by  Cardinal  Aldobrandini,  the  Archbishop 
of  that  city ;  and  the  advice  of  the  Cardinal- Legate 
of  Bologna  was  joined  to  the  courteous  letters  of 
Aldobrandini.  Guido  therefore  went  to  Ravenna, 
with  Gessi  and  Sementi,  and  took  also  Marescotti. 
The  painting  of  'The  Falling  of  Manna  in  the 
Wilderness,'  which  Lanzi  calls  "  a  perfect  miracle 
of  beauty,"  was  the  chief  production  of  this  journey, 
and  is  in  the  Sacramental  Chapel  of  the  Cathedral. 
It  was  executed  by  Guido  himself,  and  illustrated 
noble  ideas  and  well-grouped  figures  with  a  dainty 
and  vivacious  coloring,  amazing  the  Ravennese 
people.  In  the  frescos  of  the  dome,  Sementi  and 
Gessi  promptly  carried  out  the  ideas  and  seconded 
the  genius  of  the  master.  Guido  also  painted 
'  Elijah  fed  by  the  Angel '  in  the  Cathedral ;  and 
his  pupils  frescoed  the  ceiling  of  the  Sacramental 
Chapel  with  a  representation  of  Christ  in  Glory. 

In  1 62 1  the  superb  Chapel  of  St.  Januarius,  at 
Naples,  was  approaching  completion,  and  several 
of  the  foremost  artists  of  Italy  were  summoned  to 


NEA  POLITAA '  BRA  VOES.  5  9 

decorate  its  walls.  Among  these  were  Domeni- 
chino,  Lanfranco,  and  Guido,  the  latter  of  whom 
took  with  him  his  assistant  Gessi.  But  their 
engagement  lasted  only  a  short  time,  on  account 
of  the  fierce  hostility  and  appalling  threats  of  the 
Neapolitan  artists.  Guido  had  designed  several 
cartoons  tor  the  chapel,  and  had  commenced  to 
fresco,  when  the  Neapolitans  began  their  persecu- 
tions. He  was  followed  through  the  streets  by 
armed  ruffians ;  letters  came  to  him  threatening 
poison  and  the  stiletto ;  and  his  servant  Domenico 
was  slain.  For  the  last  crime  Belisario,  one  of  the 
hostile  artists,  was  imprisoned ;  and  his  hired  assas- 
sin, Giandomenico  of  Capua,  was  sent  to  the 
galleys.  Afterwards  another  of  Guide's  men  was 
caught  by  the  Neapolitans,  who  gave  him  a  sound 
drubbing,  telling  him  that  such  should  be  the  fate 
of  every  one  who  roamed  about  in  cities  not  his 
own,  taking  the  bread  from  the  mouths  of  the  resi- 
dents thereof.  When  the  servant  came  home,  and 
the  marks  of  his  cudgelling  were  perceived,  Guido 
was  greatly  alarmed,  and  having  written  a  letter  of 
explanation  and  apology,  he  left  it  on  a  little  table 
in  one  of  the  rooms  assigned  to  him,  and  then 
secretly  fled  from  Naples,  swearing  that  he  would 


6o  GUIDO. 

never  again  run  such  risks  in  a  foreign  land,  vhile 
he  was  so  richly  employed  and  highly  honored  at 
home.  He  returned  to  Rome,  where  he  remained 
for  a>  long  time. 

Guido  frequently  followed  an  example  as  old  as 
the  days  of  Zeuxis,  by  declining  to  set  prices  on  his 
pictures  when  sought  for  by  noblemen  and  wealthy 
persons,  preferring  to  send  the  pictures  as  presents 
to  them,  and  in  return  he  would  always  receive  a 
much  larger  sum,  by  way  of  a  present,  than  he  could 
have  asked.  He  painted  a  head  of  a  saint,  for  a 
Roman  merchant,  and  desired  to  have  it  appraised 
by  the  artists  of  the  city.  These  declared  that 
such  a  work  was  priceless,  and  that  they  could  not 
imagine  how  it  had  been  worked  out,  seeing  that 
no  traces  of  the  brush  were  visible,  and  that  it 
appeared  to  have  been  exhaled,  or  breathed  down, 
rather  than  painted.  By  the  merchant's  order,  the 
banker  Davia  offered  a  great  purse  to  Guido,  from 
which  he  was  to  take  as  much  money  as  he  liked, 
whereupon  the  master  counted  out  the  trifling  sum 
of  twenty  pistoles. 

In  his  contracts  for  new  works  he  always  served 
himself  by  middlemen  and  friends,  since  he  ab- 
horred  the   name  of  "  price  "  in   this   profession. 


A  REPRIMAND.  6l 

which,  as  he  said,  ought  only  to  speak  of  presents 
and  honorariums.  In  occurrences  of  this  kind,  he 
was  careful  to  avail  himself  of  polite  and  courteous 
gentlemen,  using  mercenaries  and  hired  servants 
only  for  the  low  and  domestic  duties  of  the 
household. 

During  one  of  his  later  sojourns  at  Rome,  Guido 
was  commissioned  to  paint  a  picture  of  the  repulse 
of  Attila  by  St.  Leo,  to  be  placed  in  St.  Peter's 
Church;  and  the  sum  of  400  crowns  was  ad- 
vanced on  account  thereof.  He  wrote  to  a 
friend,  "  I  have  desired  that  no  one  shall  come 
upon  my  painting-stage,  not  even  cardinals,  and 
the  Congregation  has  consented."  Nevertheless 
he  waited  so  long  that  Cardinal  Pamfili  (afterwards 
Pope  Innocent  X.)  summoned  him  before  the 
Congregation,  and  stated  the  grievances  against 
him  very  clearly,  showing  that  the  master  should 
not  do  violence  to  his  genius,  but  should  strive  to 
attain  the  highest  excellence,  considering  the  sov- 
ereign dignity  of  his  patron  and  prince,  and  the 
peculiar  majesty  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  in  which  he 
was  working.  Cardinal  Spinola,  the  Papal  Treas- 
urer, also  summoned  Guido  to  his  palace,  and 
rudely  demanded  to  know  if  he  never  intended  to 


62  GUIDO. 

begin  the  work  for  which  he  had  been  paid,  and  if 
he  thought  to  trifle  thus  Hghtly  with  his  contracts. 
The  artist  was  astounded  and  imbittered,  and  an- 
swered, with  more  piquancy  than  relevancy,  "  My 
Lord  Cardinal,  the  Pope  can  make  as  many  of 
your  equals  as  he  chooses,  but  to  make  my  equals 
rests  with  no  power  but  that  of  God." 

Guido's  most  malevolent  failing  now  involved 
him  in  serious  difficulties ;  for  he  had  already  lost 
at  the  gaming-table  the  entire  amount  which  he 
had  received  for  the  Attila  picture.  He  now 
wished  to  depart  from  Rome,  but  was  in  great 
trouble  because  he  could  not  repay  this  unearned 
advance  and  his  other  debts.  At  last  he  borrowed 
enough  money,  and  deposited  it  in  the  Bank  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  the  credit  of  the  Reverend  Fabric, 
after  which  he  made  the  bricklayers  scratch  out  a 
glory  of  angels  which  he  had  painted  in  the  church, 
and  then  fled  to  Bologna. 

The  Roman  court,  ever  curious  as  to  new  events, 
variously  discussed  the  affair ;  some  of  its  members 
excusing  and  defending  the  runaway,  and  upbraid- 
ing the  fretful  anxiety  of  Pamfili.  It  was  even  said 
that  the  Pope  himself  had  remarked,  with  an  arch 
and   peaceful  smile,  "  Pictoribus   et  Poesis  omnia 


A  FALSE  TRADITION.  63 

licent;  and  it  is  necessary  to  be  kindly  indulgent 
to  these  great  men,  because  that  excess  of  spirits 
which  renders  them  what  they  are,  is  the  same 
that  forces  them  into  whimsical  irritation.  We 
know  how  disdainful  Guido  can  be,  not  only  at 
Bologna,  when  we  were  the  Legate  there,  and 
pacified  him  in  some  nonsensical  quarrel  with  other 
artists,  but  when  he  had  the  hardihood  to  resist 
the  orders  of  Pope  Paul,  summoning  him  to  Rome. 
It  is  well  known  how  severely  he  has  handled  even 
the  ambassadors,  whom  we  ourselves  treated  with 
respect.  But  he  is  right ;  and  all  is  forgiven  to  his 
great  virtue,  seeing  there  is  but  one  Guido  in  the 
world." 

It  is  a  matter  of  tradition  that  Guido  was  deeply 
offended  at  the  advice  of  Cardinal  Pamfili,  and  that 
he  took  a  perpetual  revenge  by  portraying  him  as 
Satan,  under  the  feet  of  the  Archangel  Michael,  in 
the  picture  which  is  now  at  Rome.  But  Guido 
was  deeply  grieved  at  this  popular  rumor,  and  swore 
to  Malvasia  Ihat  it  was  without  a  shadow  of  truth, 
and  doubtless  originated  in  the  fancies  of  the  Ro- 
man wits,  or  was  scattered  abroad  by  his  enemies. 
He  added  that  he  should  not  have  had  the  temerity 
to  send  such  an  insolent  satire  to  Rome,  especially 


64  GUIDO. 

against  so  great  a  prelate ;  and  if  Pamfili's  face 
gave  an  appearance  of  probability  to  the  public 
reports,  it  was  not  the  fault  of  the  brush  or  the 
pencil.  Guido  charged  Malvasia,  who  was  about 
to  visit  Rome,  to  undeceive  the  court  as  quickly  as 
possible. 

'  The  Archangel  Michael  *  was  painted  on  the 
order  of  Cardinal  Sant'  Onofrio,  the  brother  of 
Urban  VIIL,  who  sent  to  Guido  the  measures  of 
its  proposed  place,  and  a  description  of  the  light 
in  which  it  would  hang.  This  noble  work  was  pre- 
sented by  the  Barberini  family  to  the  Capuchin 
Church,  near  their  palace,  where  it  still  remains, 
having  been  carefully  secreted  while  the  troops  of 
the  First  Napoleon  occupied  Rome.  Hawthorne 
called  it  "  one  of  the  most  beautiful  things  in  the 
world,  one  of  the  human  conceptions  that  are  im- 
bued most  deeply  with  the  celestial."  When  Guido 
sent  the  '  St.  Michael '  he  also  wrote  thus  :  "  I  wish 
I  had  had  the  wings  of  an  angel,  to  have  ascended 
into  Paradise,  and  there  to  have  beheld  the  forms 
of  those  beatified  spirits,  from  which  I  might  have 
copied  my  Archangel :  but,  not  being  able  to 
mount  so  high,  it  was  in  vain  for  me  to  search  his 
semblance  here  below;   so  that  I  was  forced   to 


BARBERINI'S  CHARITY.  65 

make  an  introspection  into  my  own  mind,  and  into 
that  Idea  of  Beauty  which  I  have  formed  in  my 
imagination." 

Cardinal  Barberini  often  excused  and  extenuated 
Guido's  derelictions,  attributing  them  to  unseemly 
behavior  of  the  Ministers  of  State,  rather  than  to 
contumacy;  and  adducing  his  own  case  as  an 
illustration  of  how,  by  treating  the  artist  kindly  and 
considerately,  one  might  secure  his  efficient  aid. 
Father  Ferrari  was  talking  one  day  with  the  Cardi- 
nal, and  said  that  although  he  could  not  decorate 
his  great  book  on  flowers  with  the  names  of  a 
venerable  nobility,  he  should  have  those  of  the 
foremost  painters  of  the  century,  among  whom  he 
placed  Guido  Reni  as  first.  The  Cardinal  smiled, 
and  showing  him  the  difficulty  of  the  undertaking, 
advised  him  to  abstain  from  such  an  impracticable 
pretension.  But  Ferrari's  confidential  friend,  the 
Marquis  Malvezzi,  was  able  to  demand  and  obtain 
the  desired  favor ;  and  when  the  sketch  was  for- 
warded to  Ferrari,  he  honored  the  intercession  of 
the  Marquis  and  the  courtesy  of  Guido  by  sending 
the  latter  a  present  of  two  splendid  salvers  of  sil- 
ver. Guido  wrote  a  letter  of  thanks,  promising  to 
give  him  in  return  a  picture,  so  that  in  colors  alsc 


66  GUIDO. 

he  might  have  an  opportunity  to  prove  his  grati- 
tude. Long  afterwards  Ferrari  prayed  Colonna  to 
present  his  regards  to  Guido,  and  dexterously  re- 
mind him  of  the  promised  favor.  The  master  led 
Colonna  to  his  secret  chambers  above,  and  examin- 
ing the  sketches  there  preserved,  both  of  them  con- 
cluded that  the  most  favorable  subject  to  give  the 
father  was  a  half-length  figure  of  Clirist.  Having 
placed  it  on  the  easel,  he  finished  the  work  in  a 
few  hours,  while  Colonna  marvelled  at  his  velocity 
of  operation  ;  and  Barberini  was  still  more  amazed, 
and  told  the  father  that  he  had  had  better  fortune 
with  Guido  than  even  the  Pope  himself;  adding 
that  such  noble  and  high-strung  souls  must  be 
sought  with  dexterity,  not  with  violence. 


I 


HOME  HONORS,  67 


CHAPTER  V. 

Honors  at  Bologna.  —  Princely  Visitors.  —  '^'*  Cardinals.  — 
'  The  Abduction  of  Helen.'  —  The  Castelfranco  Assumption.  — 
'  The  Samson.'  —  Minor  Works. 

When  Guido  returned  to  Bologna,  and  took  up 
his  abode  there,  the  saying  that  a  prophet  has  no 
honor  in  his  own  country  was  for  once  untrue,  for 
he  was  adored  by  the  people,  esteemed  by  the 
nobles,  and  served  by  all.  No  great  public  work 
was  undertaken,  unless  approved  by  his  advice ; 
nor  did  the  cavaliers  ever  have  a  tournament  or 
joust,  without  inviting  him  to  accept  a  favorable 
place  thereat.  The  first  visits  of  the  successive 
Cardinal- Legates  were  paid  to  him ;  and  their 
courtesies  and  offers  were  without  limit,  although 
he  wisely  restricted  himself  in  accepting  them. 
Cardinal  Sacchetti  was  the  only  one  of  the  Legates 
who  could  ever  get  him  out  to  a  dinner-party,  and 
of  this  the  eminent  ecclesiastic  never  ceased  to 
boast.  Nor  did  any  one  ever  pass  tlirough  Bologna, 
however  great   they  might  be,  but  that   they  es- 


68  GUI  DO. 

teemed  it  as  a  favor  if  they  could  see  Guido,  ind 
gaze  upon  him  while  he  worked. 

When  the  Cardinal-Prince  Charles  of  Tuscany 
was  on  his  way  to  the  great  festival  of  Modena,  he 
called  upon  Guido,  and,  pressing  his  hands  affec- 
tionately, begged  that  he  would  paint  something  in 
his  presence.  Having  ordered  a  fresh  canvas,  in 
about  two  hours  the  master  finished  a  head  of 
Hercules ;  and  he  received  therefor  a  golden 
chain,  enclosed  in  a  silver  casket,  from  which 
hung  a  medal  bearing  the  line  :  "  Hoc  mage  quam 
mtmus ,  pignus  Amoris  erity 

Cardinal  Cornari  also  visited  the  studio,  desirous 
to  see  in  what  manner  the  artist  developed  his  ideas, 
and  in  less  than  four  hours  he  completed  for  him  a 
head  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  Cardinal  placed 
a  purse  of  sequins  in  his  hand ;  but  Guido  opened 
it  and.took  out  a  few  pieces,  returning  the  rest  to 
his  patron,  who,  being  unable  to  make  him  accept 
more,  drew  a  gold  chain  from  the  pocket  of  his 
robe,  and  constrained  the  proud  artist  to  accept  it 
as  a  present. 

While  the  French  ambassador,  D'Husset,  was 
waiting  in  Bologna  to  stand  as  godfather  to  the 
young  Count  Pepoli,  in  the  name  of  the  Most  Chris- 


A  TRUE  ITALIAN:  69 

tian  ICing,  he  visited  Guide's  studio,  attended  by 
forty  carriages  full  of  nobles.  During  the  two  hours 
which  he  spent  in  looking  at  the  various  pictures 
in  these  rooms,  the  master  painted  for  him  a  Ma- 
donna, on  whose  completion  the  ambassador  gave 
him  a  gold  chain  worth  a  hundred  pistoles.  The 
attendant  nobles  were  profoundly  amazed,  and  said 
that  they  envied  that  pencil,  which  could  bring  as 
much  profit  in  two  hours  as  a  good  estate  could 
in  a  year. 

The  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  on  his  return 
from  Germany,  took  pains  to  visit  Guido,  and 
propounded  to  him  the  question  which  was  then 
ever-present  to  each  inhabitant  of  plundered  Italy : 
"  Are  you  a  Spaniard  or  a  Frenchman  ?  "  (in  sym- 
pathies). The  noble  answer,  worthy  of  Mazzini, 
was,  "  I  am  a  true  Italia^i,  Most  Serene  Highness, 
since  our  nation  has  ruled  both  those  peoples  in 
ancient  days."  "Yet,"  urged  the  Duke,  "if  you 
were  forced  to  adhere  either  lu  Fr?nce  or  to  Spain, 
which  would  you  choose?"  The  brave  artist  re- 
plied, "That  which  would  be  the  most  useful,  or 
the  least  pernicious,  to  our  Italy." 

He  very  rarely  returned  visits,  even  those  of 
great  men,  stating  his  belief  that  their  visits  were 


70  GUIDO. 

made  to  the  talents  which  God  had  given  him,  but 
in  no  sense  to  himself  personally,  wherefore  he 
never  received  callers  elsewhere  than  in  the  rooms 
where  he  labored.  He  was  accustomed  to  paint 
with  his  mantle  about  him,  gathered  gracefully  over 
his  left  arm.  His  pupils  vied  with  each  other  to 
serve  him,  esteeming  themselves  fortunate  to  have 
opportunities  to  clean  his  brushes,  or  to  hand  them 
to  him,  or  to  prepare  his  palette. 

There  were  many  princes  and  cardinals,  who 
protected  the  artist,  and  defended  him  against  the 
calumnies  which  were  heaped  upon  him  by  the 
haughty  and  capricious,  as  well  as  by  his  distanced 
rivals.  The  nobles  and  prelates  who  lived  or  were 
stationed  at  Bologna  were  among  his  earnest  de- 
fenders, and  included  Cardinals  Tonti,  Aldobran- 
dini,  Sfondrati,  Spada,  and  Sacchetti.  The  two 
last-named  had  a  compact  with  him  by  which  they 
might  visit  him  at  any  time,  and  amuse  them- 
selves as  they  saw  fit,  but  without  intruding  any 
suggestions.  It  is  related  that  Cardinal  Sacchetti 
came  one  day,  and  found  him  half-undressed,  and 
being  shaved ;  and  when  Guido  put  down  the 
basin,  and  endeavored  to  rise;  His  Eminence 
seized  the  doffed   garments,  and    swore   to   leave 


THE  'HELEN:  71 

him  forever,  unless  he  sat  down  just  as  he  was 
before. 

Cardinal  Spada  was  also  a  skilful  diplomatist 
with  the  intractable  artist,  and  when  Rarberini 
urged  him  to  soUcit  the  completion  of  the  picture 
of  'The  Abduction  of  Helen,'  some  time  since 
begun  in  Rome  for  the  King  of  Spain,  he  avoided 
all  such  violence  and  urgency  as  would  have  hard- 
ened Guido  against  it,  and  showed  to  him  that  the 
Spanish  Ambassador  was  about  to  depart  from 
Rome,  and  that  unless  the  picture  was  finished  in 
time  for  him  to  take  it,  he  should  lose  the  opportu- 
nity to  win  the  esteem  of  one  of  the  greatest  mon- 
archs  of  the  world.  Beyond  that,  also,  he  should 
consider  his  own  dignity,  and  the  honor  of  his 
country,  nay,  of  all  Italy,  then  in  his  person  most 
rich  in  the  virtues  of  art.  At  the  same  time  he 
requested  Guido  to  make  his  portrait,  and  by  this 
means  coming  more  frequently  to  the  studio,  he 
always  paused  before  that  great  picture,  appearing 
each  time  more  fascinated  with  it,  and  in  this  way 
easily  stimulated  the  artist  to  finish  it,  to  please  him. 

When  it  was  exposed  to'  view  in  the  studio,  it 
was  visited  by  great  and  admiring  crowds,  not  only 
from  Bologna,  but  even  firom  Lombardy  and  the 


72  GUI  DO. 

Romagna;  and  every  one  who  saw  it  desired  to 
come  yet  again.  Annoyed  by  the  cold  reception 
of  his  picture,  by  the  Spanish  Ambassador,  Guido 
ordered  that  it  should  be  sent  back  to  Bologna, 
and  Cardinal  Spada  soon  secured  its  sale  to  the 
Queen-Mother  of  France.  It  is  now  preserved  in 
the  Louvre. 

*  The  Magdalen '  was  painted  for  the  master's 
dear  friend  Rinaldi,  as  a  remembrance  of  gratitude. 
Every  time  that  Cardinal  Spada  came  to  Rinaldi's 
house,  to  the  private  sessions  of  the  Academy,  he 
wished  that  his  seat  should  be  placed  opposite  this 
Magdalen,  from  which  he  would  never  remove  his 
eyes,  being  transported  by  the  ecstasy  of  that  celes- 
tial idea.  Moreover,  when  it  was  exposed  one  day 
in  a  religious  procession,  it  was  accidentally  touched 
and  slightly  injured  by  the  halberd  of  a  Swiss  guard, 
who  was  driving  back  the  crowd,  and  the  Cardinal 
was  so  moved  by  fear  and  sorrow,  that,  going  out 
quickly  from  between  the  Vice- Legate  and  the 
Gonfaloniere,  he  fell  upon  the  soldier  and  stayed 
his  hand.  When  the  picture  was  stolen,  soon  after- 
wards, it  was  even  suspected  that  Cardinal  Spada 
knew  what  became  of  it ;  and  a  graceful  sonnet 
expressed  a  hope  that  the  thieves,  on  contemplat- 


CASTELFRANCO'S  PICTURE.  73 

ing  the  face  of  the  fah  Hebrew  penitent,  would 
themselves  be  moved  to  contrition  and  restitution. 

Having  been  exhorted  frequently  by  Spada's 
train-bearer  to  pay  court  at  the  feasts  of  the  Cardi- 
nal, in  recognition  of  the  courtesies  and  obligations 
received  from  His  Eminence,  the  angry  artist  at 
last  cried  out,  "  What  obligations  ?  I  would  not 
exchange  my  pencil  for  his  cardinal's  hat.  And 
seeing  that  is  the  case,  who  can  bid  me  to  fawn 
upon  him  ?  " 

In  1623  Guido  painted  two  pictures  for  Cardinal 
Gozzadini,  who  paid  him  235  lire.  One  of  these 
was  a  small  Madonna ;  the  other  (still  in  Bologna) 
was  entitled  Ecce  Salvator  Mundi,  and  represented 
the  young  Christ,  holding  a  globe  in  both  hands^ 
The  master  also  copied  and  enlarged  the  head  of 
Bindo  Altoviti,  from  a  medal  made  by  Michael 
Angelo,  and  presented  it  to  his  generous  patron, 
Jacopo  Altoviti,  the  Patriarch  of  Antioch.  Another 
portrait  of  this  time  represented  Giacomo  Meni- 
chino,  the  apothecary  of  Pope  Gregory  XV. 

'  The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,'  painted  for  the 
church  at  Castelfranco,  is  a  beautiful  composition, 
in  which  Mary  appears  rising  on  the  clouds,  at- 
tended by  angels,  and  looking  into  heaven.     The 


74  GUIDO. 

penalty  of  excommunication  was  denounced  against 
whoever  should  remove  this  picture  from  the 
church,  and  lo  this  fact  its  preservation  there  is 
due.  During  the  French  Revolutionary  era,  one 
of  Napoleon's  generals  came  to  Castelfranco  to 
remove  the  picture  to  Paris ;  but  while  he  was 
delayed  at  lunch  in  the  rector's  house,  certain  citi- 
zens hid  Guido's  picture,  and  replaced  it  with  a 
copy.  Masini,  the  ecclesiastic  for  whom  the  mas- 
ter painted  this  composition,  stated  in  his  Bologiia 
Perbistrata  (republished  in  1666)  that  when  the 
picture  was  first  unveiled,  the  two  candles  which 
burned  before  it  for  two  hours  continuously  did  not 
decrease  a  single  hair's-breadth,  being  kept  intact 
\>y  miraculous  power. 

Another  great  work  was  the  '  Samson  Victorious 
over  the  Philistines,'  which  Guido  painted  for  the 
hall  of  Count  Zambeccari.  At  a  later  day,  when 
certain  foreigners  were  negotiating  to  buy  it,  Bon- 
compagni,  the  Cardinal-Archbishop  of  Bologna, 
paid  4,000  crowns  for  the  picture.  In  16S4  he 
bequeathed  it  to  the  Gonfaloniere  and  Senators  of 
Bologna,  and  when  that  magistracy  was  abolished, 
in  1 796,  the  picture  was  placed  in  the  Pinacoteca, 
where  it  now  remains. 


THE  SILVERSMITH.  75 

The  *  Cleopatra '  was  painted  for  Count  Bar- 
bazzi,  and  was  a  portrait  of  liis  Countess,  who  was 
"  the  sun  of  beauty."  Bruni  sung  its  praises,  in 
the  sonnet  beginning  "  Ingenious  pencil."  Two 
beautiful  companion  pictures  were  the  Judith  and 
the  David,  painted  for  Marshal  Crequy,  and  after- 
wards owned  by  the  King  of  France.  Marini 
celebrated  the  David  in  a  sonnet  beginning  "  Be- 
hold the  Hebrew  Alcides."  'The  Rape  of  Europa' 
was  executed  for  the  Duke  of  Guastalta,  who  paid 
700  crowns  for  it,  intending  to  present  it  to  a  cer- 
tain Grandee  of  Spain.  The  picture  of  St.  Roch 
in  prison,  with  his  dog  by  his  side,  and  a  comfort- 
ing angel  above,  was  painted  for  200  crowns.  It 
long  remained  at  Carpi,  and  is  now  in  the  Pal- 
ace at  Modena.  The  '  Fortuna  '  painted  for  the 
Abbot  Gavotti  represented  an  allegorical  female 
figure,  holding  an  open  purse  of  money,  and  with 
a  little  Cupid  by  her  side.  Several  rephcas  of  the 
Fortuna  were  made,  with  variations,  and  are  now 
found  in  the  Louvre,  in  Rome,  and  also  in  Bologna. 

There  was  a  certain  Flemish  silversmith,  by  the 
name  of  Jacobs,  living  in  Bologna  at  this  time,  and 
he  founded  there  a  college  for  the  youth  of  his 
nation.     He  was  withal  a  friend  of  Guido,  who 


76  GUIDO. 

painted  that  portrait  of  him  which  is  still  preserved 
in  the  Flemish  College.  Jacobs  also  commissioned 
him  to  depict  *  The  Baptism  of  Christ,'  which  was 
finished  and  sent  to  Flanders  in  1623. 

Senator  Paleotti  once  requested  him  to  paint  a 
picture  of  the  Invention  of  the  Cross,  for  the 
Mendicanti  Church,  wherein  so  many  of  the  art- 
treasures  of  Venice  were  enshrined.  But  Guido 
refused,  saying  that  he  did  not  know  how  to  work 
in  the  manner  of  Paul  Veronese,  and  did  not  wish 
to  use  the  manner  of  Tintoretto.  He  kept  up  a 
long  and  friendly  correspondence  with  Palma  Gio- 
vane,  who  urged  him  to  paint  a  Cleopatra,  in  rival- 
ship  with  three  other  half-figures,  one  by  Palma, 
one  by  Guercino,  and  the  third  by  Renieri,  the 
painter  of  the  Venetian  RepubUc.  "  I  could  not 
do  it,"  said  Guido,  "except  for  friendship's  sake; 
for  I  know  that  I  could  have  no  chance  of  success 
in  a  country  that  even  in  painters  considers  motives 
of  state,  and  does  not  regard  those  who  are  not  its 
own."  These  four  pictures  were  made  for  the 
merchant  Boselli,  and  it  was  soon  reported  in 
Bologna  that  Palma's  was  the  favorite,  and  that  it 
was  placed  on  the  Campanile  of  St.  Mark.  "  Did 
I   not  tell  you   so,"  said   Guido,   "that   in   that 


SPECULATION.  77 

country  the  Venetian  Palma  would  win  the  palm 
\j>ahna\  ? "  The  merchant  died  soon  after,  and 
the  Cleopatra  was  acquired  by  Renieri,  who  held  it 
as  the  diamond  of  his  collection. 

The  rage  for  Guido's  pictures  was  felt  even 
among  the  common  artisans,  and  was  in  part  due 
to  the  great  profits  which  some  of  these  had  made 
in  re-selling  them.  For  example,  a  small  copy  of 
Annibale's  '  Charity  of  San  Rocco,'  which  he  had 
made  during  his  youthful  days,  for  2  pistoles,  was 
now  sold  successively  for  20,  60,  100,  and  130 
pistoles ;  the  Magi,  which  he  had  received  10 
crowns  for,  was  sold  for  400 ;  the  Eurydice, 
painted  for  Lambertini  for  20  crowns,  was  bought 
by  certain  Frenchmen  for  300 ;  the  Magdalen  and 
St.  Cecilia,  painted  for  Zambeccari  for  80  crowns, 
was  bought  by  the  Cardinal-Archbishop  of  Bologna 
for  300.  The  agent  Gazino  bought  of  Guido  a 
life-size  picture  of  St.  Jerome  for  300  crowns, 
which  he  sold  to  Sartore  for  500 ;  and  the  latter, 
being  soon  afterwards  in  urgent  need  of  money, 
allowed  a  German  baron  to  purchase  it  for  74c 
crowns.  The  Magdalen  which  Musotti  acquired 
for  60  crowns,  went  for  100  to  a  person  who  re-sold 
it  to  Count  Morandi  of  Piacenza  for  116  pistoles 


78  GUIDO. 

The  *  Head  of  St.  Peter,'  for  which  the  priests  of 
St.  Philip  de  Neri's  Church  at  Fano  paid  50 
crowns,  MacchiavelU  bought  for  100,  and  his  heirs 
sold  it  to  Cardinal  Vidoni  for  228. 

A  fruitful  cause  of  trouble  was  found  in  the 
extensive  sales  of  works  attributed  to  Guido,  but 
not  from  his  hand,  being  sometimes  barefaced 
forgeries,  and  sometimes  paintings  by  his  scholars, 
which  he  had  only  retouched  in  giving  instruction. 
Malvasia  states  that  even  in  his  day  many  of  the 
nobles  of  Italy  possessed  these  works,  which  they 
had  bought  at  great  prices.  Titian,  indeed,  had 
countenanced  this  manner  of  deception,  and  sold 
the  pictures  of  his  pupils,  scantily  retouched  by 
himself,  as  his  own ;  but  Guido,  as  soon  as  he  was 
aware  of  these  knavish  tricks,  opposed  himself 
thereto  with  high  passion  and  unyielding  courage, 
and  ejected  from  his  studio  the  young  men  who 
had  been  privy  to  them. 


HIS  TWO  MANNERS.  79 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Guido's  Manners.  —  His  Favorite  Artists.  —  Pupils.  —  Models, 

GuiDo's  works  are  divided  into  those  of  the  first 
and  the  second  manner,  and  critics  differ  as  to 
which  is  preferable  of  the  two.  Malvasia  calls  the 
first  the  more  pleasing,  and  the  other  the  more 
studied.  Scanelli  says  that  he  adopted  the  second 
manner  after  seeing  the  rapid  changes  and  the 
loss  of  brilliancy  which  befell  the  pictures  of  the 
Caracci.  The  first  manner  reflected  those  of  the  Ca- 
racci  and  Caravaggio,  with  strong  lights  and  deep 
shadows,  and  a  striving  after  effect  is  everywhere 
visible.  The  second  manner  was  the  outgrowth  of 
his  persistent  efforts  after  grace  and  delicacy,  which 
he  at  last  succeeded  in  uniting  with  the  strength 
which  the  Caracci  had  taught  him.  The  master 
worked  most  carefully  on  the  pictures  of  his  riper 
years,  never  being  quite  satisfied,  and  showing  in 
them  the  fruits  of  new  researches,  and  a  thousand 
gentle   devices.     He  also  began  to  blend  certain 


8o  GUIDO. 

livids  and  a/ures  among  his  half-tints  and  flesh-col- 
ors, in  order  to  convey  the  semi-transparency  of 
dehcate  flesh  when  under  certain  hghts.  This  was 
the  essential  feature  of  the  second  manner,  which 
was  held  by  some  as  too  languid  and  delicate,  and 
by  others  as  sovereign  in  its  tenderness  and  sweet- 
ness. 

Some  critics  attribute  to  him  a  third  manner,  in 
which  they  include  the  paintings  executed  after  his 
return  from  Naples,  when  he  was  forced  to  rapid 
work  from  the  need  of  raising  money  for  his  gam- 
bling debts.  He  won  the  title  of  "  the  father  of 
facility,"  but  at  a  great  cost  of  labor.  As  a  bee 
flies  from  flower  to  flower,  so  did  Guido  forage  on 
all  sides,  tasting  only  the  most  exquisite  and  per- 
fect. He  took  from  Raphael  his  well-proportioned 
figures,  draped  with  antique  costumes  copied  from 
the  classic  statues,  although  in  the  proper  place 
and  time  he  gave  these  a  greater  amplitude,  ap- 
proaching therein  the  manner  of  Veronese.  He 
learned  to  make  heads  of  most  beautiful  mien ; 
and  no  one  could  paint  children  more  tender  and 
life-like,  hands  and  feet  better  designed,  nude  fig- 
ures more  accurate  and  precise,  or  garments  more 
fitting  and  magnificent.     He  was  always  glad  to 


LANZrS   VERDICT.  ■     8l 

undertake  pictures  of  the  Crucifixion,  to  show  how 
tlioroughly  he  understood  the  human  torso ;  and 
for  this  reason  he  may  be  excused  for  sometimes 
introducing  undraped  busts  into  his  pictures.  He 
justly  claimed  to  be  unrivalled  in  the  arrangement 
of  hair  and  veils,  and  of  drapery  around  heads, 
giving  them  ever  new  and  more  gracious  forms ; 
and  he  frequently  showed  his  pupils,  by  means  of 
tresses  of  hemp  or  silk-thread,  how  to  arrange  hair 
uniquely,  to  take  it  up,  and  to  knot  it,  and  also 
how  to  leave  it  in  an  artificial  negligence,  falling  in 
blond  and  waving  masses,  as  it  appears  in  his  Mag- 
dalens  and  Sibyls. 

The  grave  historian  Lanzi  thus  speaks  of  our 
Guido  :  — "  And  in  truth  this  artist  aimed  less  at 
copying  beautiful  countenances,  than  at  forming 
for  himself  a  certain  general  and  abstract  idea  of 
beauty,  as  we  know  was  done  by  the  Greeks,  and 
this  he  modulated  and  animated  in  his  own  style. 
.  .  .  There  is  no  one  action,  position,  or  expres- 
sion at  all  injurious  to  his  figures  ;  the  passions  of 
grief,  terror,  sorrow,  are  all  combined  with  the 
expression  of  beauty ;  he  turns  them  every  way 
as  he  lists,  he  changes  them  into  every  attitude, 
always  equally  pleasing,  and  every  one  equally  en- 


82  GUIDO. 

titled  to  the  eulogy  of  displaying  n  every  action, 
and  in  every  step,  the  beauty  which  secretly  ani- 
mates and  encourages  it." 

Guido  said  to  Malvasia :  "  There  is  a  super- 
human character  in  the  countenances  of  Lippo 
Dalmasio's  Madonnas,  which  makes  me  think 
that  his  pencil  was  moved  by  more  than  mortal 
skill,  since  he  exhibited  in  those  pure  mirrors  of 
the  ideal  a  holiness,  a  modesty,  a  purity,  and  a 
gravity  which  no  modem  artist,  however  excellent 
or  studious,  has  ever  been  able  to  attain  to.  Lippo 
was  most  devotional  towards  the  Mother  of  God, 
whence  we  should  not  marvel  that  his  hand  so  well 
expressed  the  image  which  he  bore  imprinted  on 
his  heart.  He  never  painted  her  without  fasting 
the  previous  evening,  and  receiving  absolution  and 
the  Bread  of  Angels  on  the  morning  after.  .  .  . 
Finally,  having  become  a  Carmelite  monk,  he  died 
as  he  had  lived,  in  sanctity,  nevermore  painting  for 
hire,  but  only  for  devotion." 

The  master  always  maintained,  and  enforced  on 
his  pupils,  a  great  respect  for  the  ancient  Italian 
painters,  praising  them  for  a  certain  comeliness  and 
devotion  in  sacred  things.  He  was  an  avowed 
enemy  of  restorers,  and  once  when  an  artist  was 


GUIDO'S  EXEMPLARS.  6'^ 

brightening  up  certain  time-stained  frescos  ol 
Livio  Agresti,  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  at 
Ravenna,  Guido  fell  upon  him  with  reproaches  and 
blows,  and  forbade  him  to  continue. 

He  held  Raphael  and  Correggio  in  the  highest 
esteem,  and  after  them  he  admired  Paul  Veronese, 
whom  he  called  his  little  Paul  {Paolino) .  He  said 
that  whoever  should  unite  the  wisdom  and  justice 
of  Raphael  to  the  vivacity  and  rich  coloring  of 
Correggio,  and  the  judgment  and  majesty  of 
Veronese,  would  surpass  all  others.  He  praised 
Bagnacavallo  in  his  paintings  of  children,  and 
prided  himself  on  having  learned  from  his  works 
how  to  make  such  figures  plump  and  full  of  flesh, 
since  in  this  regard  Bagnacavallo  had  surpassed  all 
his  predecessors,  who  had  painted  their  infants  too 
lithe  and  muscular.  He  called  Parmegiano  the 
graceful  feather,  and  Albert  Diirer  the  very  great 
master.  He  admired  and  closely  studied  Diirer 's 
engravings,  and  availed  himself  of  his  rich  textures 
of  cloths  and  his  manner  of  rumpling  them,  but 
avoided  the  German's  dryness  and  precision  in 
trifles.  His  pupils  were  taught  to  copy  the  works 
of  the  Caracci,  and  were  carefully  grounded  in  the 
art  of  imitation  without  much  regard  to  mii»''ti3e^ 
which  could  be  acquired  by  practice. 


84  GUIDO. 

Guido  usually  praised  his  contemporaries  ana 
rivals ;  and  although  he  did  not  speak  well  of  his 
enemies,  he  refrained  from  openly  reviling  them, 
and  contented  himself  with  playing  upon  them  a 
few  pungent  phrases.  He  said  that  Guercino  was 
a  great  colorist,  indeed  he  was  a  great  man,  but  he 
did  not  Raphaelize ;  Caravaggio  was  too  natural- 
istic ;  Arpino  was  too  daring ;  Albano  was  no 
painter,  but  a  gentleman  who  paid  attention  to 
little  thoughts,  and  amused  himself  by  trifles. 
Domenichino  and  Rubens  were  his  delights,  and  he 
often  discoursed  upon  them  most  honorably,  saying 
that,  with  the  exception  of  Raphael  and  Veronese, 
no  artist  had  ever  lived  who  could  surpass  them  in 
invention,  or  in  the  erudition  of  their  compositions. 
The  marine  pictures  of  II  Montagnola  were  highly 
esteemed  by  the  master,  who  once  purchased  eight 
of  them,  and  sent  thirty-two  pistoles  to  their 
painter.  II  Montagnola,  however,  returned  half  of 
this  sum,  and  Guido,  praising  his  self-control,  sent 
him  a  present  consisting  of  a  bundle  of  drawings 
and  designs. 

Guido  had  a  vast  number  of  pupils,  of  whom  no 
fewer  than  two  hundred  became  famous,  including 
such  masters  as  Lanfranco,  Gessi,  Sementi,  Sirani, 


PUPILS.  85 

and  Pesarese.  While  he  held  chambers  in  the 
Pescherie,  he  had  eighty  pupils  at  once,  represent- 
ing nearly  every  nation  of  Europe.  But  the  ad- 
vantages attending  this  concun^ence  of  disciples 
were  almost  counterbalanced  by  the  incessant  rival- 
ries and  mutual  upbraidings  of  the  young  men, 
who  often  came  even  to  blows  in  the  studio,  and 
rendered  it  impossible  for  the  master  to  work. 
Some  of  them  ruined  his  best  pictures  by  careless- 
ness, and  others  copied  his  fresh  designs.  Other 
works  they  secretly  copied  by  etchings,  and  had 
the  results  pubhshed,  as  happened  even  in  regard 
to  the  great  picture  of  'Fortuna.'  After  a  time 
the  master  estabUshed  a  different  studio  for  his  o\vn 
use,  and  separated  his  pupils  into  classes,  which 
were  allotted  to  different  rooms,  whither  their 
several  tasks  were  sent.  He  retained  in  his  own 
presence  several  students,  including  Pietro  Lauii, 
Lorenzo  Loli,  a  skilful  etcher  and  painter  of  altar- 
pieces,  Giuliano  Dinarelli,  and  Sirani,  a  skilful 
artist,  in  whom  he  reposed  great  confidence. 

Guido  said  that  as  in  the  school  of  grammar  so 
also  in  that  of  design,  each  pupil  should  pay  the 
master  a  pistole  a  month ;  and  adduced  the  example 
of  Apelles,  Echion,  Melanthius,  and  others,  who 


86  GUIDO. 

were  obliged  to  give  an  Attic  talent  to  Pamphilus 
before  he  would  teach  them  his  art.  He  also 
argued  that  by  this  means  the  rabble,  being  unable 
to  pay  so  much,  would  be  excluded  from  the  noble 
profession.  Furthermore,  since  he  devoted  himself 
to  teaching  them,  both  as  a  matter  of  love  and  of 
duty,  they  should  desire  to  avoid  the  unavailing  loss 
of  their  money  and  the  reproaches  of  their  parents, 
by  coming  to  the  studio  to  study,  and  not  to  make 
an  uproar,  as  was  common  among  the  young  artists 
of  those  days. 

Having  been  informed  that  all  his  pupils  were 
aping  his  manner,  he  replied :  "  Yes,  but  they 
attach  themselves  to  the  worst  traits,  and  neglect 
the  best.  It  is  designing  that  is  difficult,  but 
coloring  is  quickly  attained."  When  it  was  sug- 
gested that  they  robbed  his  thoughts  of  their  origi- 
nal importance,  he  added  :  "  Let  them  go  on  in  so 
doing ;  until  they  take  them  away  from  me,  they 
give  me  no  trouble.  It  would  indeed  be  annoying 
if  they  should  make  their  own  inventions,  and  be 
therein  equal  to  me." 

Not  only  his  own  pupils,  but  the  masters  of  other 
cities  and  schools  sought  to  follow  Guido's  manner ; 
and  among  these  were  Maratti,  Sacchi,  and  even 


ING RATES.  87 

Cortona  himself,  who  also  overcharged  their  works 
with  white  lead.  Even  Domenichino  left  the 
stronger  manner  of  the  Caracci;  and  imbibed  the 
tenderness  of  Guido.  Pesarese,  who  affected  to 
rival  him,  finally  confessed  that  he  was  inimitable, 
and  said  that  every  head  which  he  painted  was  a 
miracle  of  the  pencil.  Malvasia,  indeed,  saw  him 
kneel  down  before  Guido's  picture  of  St.  Peter,  and 
kiss  it  twice,  saying,  "This  indeed  is  priceless,  and 
is  of  more  value  than  a  great  composition  painted 
by  any  one  else." 

Guido  was  annoyed  from  time  to  time  by  the 
discovery  that  he  could  not  confide  in  intimate 
fi-iends,  grateful  pupils,  near  relatives,  or  faithful 
servants.  The  benefits  done  to  Sementi  and 
Gessi,  to  whom  he  taught  all  that  he  could  impart, 
•were  repaid  only  with  ingratitude  ;  and  the  feigned 
humility  of  Pesarese  at  least  was  replaced  by  a 
rash  presumption  and  a  hardy  competition.  His 
nephew,  after  having  been  pardoned  many  times, 
never  ceasca  to  steal  pictures  and  drawings,  and 
even  the  master's  clothing  and  the  utensils  of  his 
kitchen.  His  servants  and  assistants,  to  whom  he 
vvas  obliged  to  confide  every  thing  after  the  death 
of  his  mother,  manifested  a  detestable  eagerness  in 


88  GUI  DO. 

hunting  up  all  his  hidden  pictures,  as  well  as  those 
more  excellent,  and  counter-drawing  them,  by 
which  means  the  world  was  filled  with  copies  there- 
of, which  often  appeared  before  the  origuials  were 
finished.  "  They  entered  the  house  as  saints,  and 
they  came  out  as  devils,"  says  Malvasia ;  allowing 
themselves  to  become  blinded  by  an  idea  that  it 
was  their  duty  to  grow  rich  under  a  master  who, 
though  in  the  midst  of  gold,  never  knew  delight 
save  in  being  poor. 

The  first  assistant  who  thus  abused  his  service 
was  Rognone,  who,  seeing  the  master  frequently  in 
pecuniary  distress  after  his  gambling  bouts,  and 
finding  him  anxious  for  ready  money,  made  him 
small  advances  for  pictures,  and  these  he  sold  for 
double  what  he  paid.  But,  not  content  with  such 
increasing  fortune,  Rognone  wished  also  to  plume 
himself  abroad  with  a  certain  vain-glory ;  and 
Guido  became  indignant,  and  sent  him  away. 

Belcollare,  a  man  both  dexterous  in  art  and 
pleasing  in  manners,  gained  such  control  over  the 
master  that  he  disposed  of  him  at  his  pleasure,  in- 
ducing him  to  finish  only  the  pictures  which  he 
indicated.  Lel'^ollare's  authority  in  this  matter 
was  a  matter  Oi  pubUc  knowledge,  and  profited  him 


MODELS.  89 

greatly,  since  many  patrons  had  recourse  to  him, 
and  gave  him  presents,  to  insure  the  completion 
of  their  commissions,  while  all  others  were  forced 
to  wait  for  years.  Da  Mano,  a  well-bom  and 
wealthy  youth,  was  another  and  a  nobler  helper, 
who  made  every  effort  to  aid  his  master,  from  his 
own  choice  and  genius,  rather  than  because  he 
needed  the  profession. 

He  had  no  dearth  of  living  models,  in  the  multi- 
tude of  youths  and  disciples  which  surrounded  him. 
Among  these  were  the  Violini  lads,  who  had  angelic 
faces  ;  and  Savonanzi,  whose  physiognomy  he  ex- 
tolled as  unattainable,  and  whose  body  rivalled  in 
vigor  the  antique  torsos,  wherefore  he  was  made  to 
strip  frequently  in  the  studio,  and  served  as  a  model 
for  the  Bacchus,  in  the  '  Ariadne,'  and  in  other  pic- 
tures. The  savage  head  of  the  apothecary  Righe- 
tone  was  used  as  a  model  for  that  of  Goliath,  and 
for  certain  executioners  in  pictures  of  martjTdoms. 
Giacinto  Dissegna  sat  for  several  heads  of  the  weep- 
ing Madonna ;  and  the  Cavalier  Bellini,  for  Davids, 
St.  Johns,  and  similar  characters  ;  and  Senator  Gui- 
dotti,  for  St.  Francises,  especially  that  of  the  Pal- 
lione. 

There  was  a  certain  Bartoli,  of  the  city  of  the 


90  GUIDO. 

diocese  of  Rimini,  a  noble-appearing  and  vigorous 
man  of  105  years  of  age,  wiiose  head  Guido  por- 
trayed no  less  than  eight  times.  For  him  the  mas- 
ter painted  a  most  gracious  Madonna,  and  he  went 
about  showing  it  to  all,  and  receiving  great  charities 
on  account  thereof,  until  a  rascal  stole  it  from  him, 
in  the  Campagna  of  Rome.  A  siniiHar  picture  was 
given  to  the  priest  of  St.  Egidio,  whom  Guido 
always  welcomed  heartily,  and  enjoyed  hearing  his 
discourses  on  witchcraft  and  magic,  against  which 
he  was  a  skilful  exorcist. 

Ercole  Fichi  was  an  art-student  at  that  time,  and 
had  a  symmetrical  figure,  a  face  in  which  beauty 
and  fierceness  were  blended,  and  an  abundance  of 
black  curly  hair.  Guido  often  lamented  that  this 
youth  was  not  a  plebeian,  so  that  he  could  make 
him  strip  whenever  he  wished ;  and  he  was  allowed 
to  see  Fichi  undraped  only  three  times,  the  young 
man  having  consented  thereto  in  hope  of  observing 
the  manner  in  which  the  master  painted.  But 
Guido  was  cunning  enough  to  stand  his  model  on 
the  other  side  of  the  canvas,  so  that  the  desired 
benefit  did  not  result. 

His  favorite  nude  models  were  the  Roman  San- 
sone,  of  a  figure  not  less  symmetrical  than  power- 


MODELS.  91 

ful;  and  in  Bologna  the  porter  Dall'  OUe,  and  a 
certain  Battistone.  The  latter  was  an  ill-made  man, 
but  all  that  Guido  cared  of  him  was  to  refresh  his 
memory  from  viewing  his  limbs  and  torso,  and  after 
that  he  could  adjust  them  and  correct  their  imper 
fections.  In  the  same  way  any  head  sufficed  him 
for  a  model,  and  when  he  made  the  Madonna  which 
he  painted  on  holidays,  for  his  own  amusement,  he 
had  Pinno  Gallinari  sit  for.it,  and  made  good  use 
of  his  ugly  face.  Being  besought  once  by  Count 
Aldovrandi  (at  the  instigation  of  Guercino,  to  whom 
that  noble  was  partial)  to  confide  to  him  who  the 
lady  was  of  whom  he  availed  himself  in  drawing  his 
beautiful  Madonnas  and  Magdalens,  he  made  his 
color-grinder,  a  fellow  of  a  scoundrelly  visage,  sit 
down,  and,  commanding  him  to  look  upward,  he 
drew  from  him  such  a  marvellous  head  of  a  saint, 
in  that  posture,  that  it  seemed  to  Aldovrandi  as  if 
it  had  been  done  by  magic.  "  My  Lord  Count," 
said  Guido,  "  tell  your  Guercino  that  it  is  first  need- 
ful to  have  beautiful  ideas  in  the  head  of  the  artist, 
and  then  any  model  will  be  good  enough." 

On  this  account  it  was,  that  fearing  the  deca- 
dence attending  old  age,  and  in  order  to  maintain 
iiis  memory  fresh  and  ready,  he  studied  in  his  latei 


92  GUIDO. 

years  more  than  he  ever  had  before.  Every  even- 
ing, while  his  pupils  labored  together  in  copying 
from  the  nude  and  from  reliefs,  he  gave  himself  to 
designing  heads  in  various  attitudes,  hands,  feet, 
and  notions  of  compositions,  for  three  or  four  en- 
tire hours.  Malvasia  says  that  he  himself  saw  full 
twenty  drawings  made  by  Guido  from  the  same  leg, 
"  all  beautiful  to  us,  and  perfect,  but  perhaps  not 
so  to  his  grand  intelligence,  that  found  in  it  some 
difficulty,  which  we  cannot  penetrate,  nor  recog- 
nize." 

He  often  declared  that  his  favorite  models  were 
the  Venus  de  Medici  and  the  wonderful  heads  in 
the  Niobe  group,  yet  he  diversified  these  with  such 
variety  of  manner  and  exquisite  skill  that  they  are 
hardly  to  be  recognized.  The  Countess  de'  Bian- 
chi  and  the  Countess  Barbazzi  were  two  of  the  most 
beautiful  women  of  their  time,  and  Guido  made 
their  portraits  with  great  care  and  admiration.  He 
afterwards  availed  himself  of  these  noble  and  stately 
heads  in  his  pictures  of  Lucretia,  Cleopatra,  and 
other  illustrious  ladies. 

There  was  a  very  beautiful  maiden  of  Bologna, 
and  Guido  earnestly  desired  to  make  her  portrait, 
but  dared  not  propose  it,  because  she  belonged  to 


HIS  HEADS.  93 

a  respectable  family.  So  he  hired  a  suite  of  rooms 
whose  windows  overlooked  her  house,  and  little  by 
little  became  familiar  with  her  parents  and  herself, 
after  which  he  got  permission  to  sketch  her  face, 
and  drew  her  many  times  and  in  various  attitudes. 
He  rewarded  this  good  damsel  by  giving  her  a  life- 
sized  half-figure  of  a  saint,  whose  face  was  a  por- 
trait of  her  own. 

He  was  not  satisfied  with  studying  antique  heads, 
to  strengthen  himself  in  original  ideas,  but  procured 
impressions  from  old  Greek  medals  and  cameos,  to 
compare  with  the  results  of  his  researches.  Also 
during  certain  rehgious  solemnities  which  occurred 
at  early  hours,  he  observed  carefully  the  physiogno- 
mies of  secluded  women  and  circumspect  maidens. 
By  such  studies  he  gained  an  inexhaustible  reper- 
tory of  ideas  of  beauty,  and  was  enabled  to  draw 
heads  which  Mengs  said  "  surpassed  all  others ; " 
and  Passeri  called  "faces  of  Paradise."  Lanzi 
.  says,  "  His  heads  were  preferred  by  many  to  those 
of  Raphael ;  "  Dufresnoy  adds,  "  His  heads  yield  no 
manner  of  precedence  to  those  of  Raphael ;  "  Rich- 
ardson calls  them  "  almost  more  than  human ; " 
and  Hawthorne  has  written  that  "  There  is  no  other 
painter  who  seems  to  achieve  things  so  magically 
and  inscrutably  as  he  sometimes  does." 


94  GUIDO. 

Better  than  any  other  artist  he  understood  how 
to  portray  upturned  faces,  and  he  boasted  that  he 
knew  a  hundred  ways  of  making  heads  with  their 
eyes  upturned  to  heaven.  De  Piles  says  that  his 
great  merit  "  consisted  in  that  moving  and  persua- 
sive beauty  which  did  not  proceed  so  much  from 
regularity  of  features,  as  from  a  lovely  air  he  gave 
to  the  mouth,  with  a  peculiar  modesty,  which  he 
had  the  art  to  place  in  the  eye." 

In  painting  the  faces  of  old  men  he  did  not  leave 
them  smooth  and  unbroken,  like  others,  but  skilfully 
touched  them  with  the  appearances  of  age,  which 
he  had  learned  from  the  famous  bas-reUef  common- 
ly called  his  Seneca.  He  made  the  first  application 
of  color  a  ground-work,  upon  which  to  sketch,  in  a 
manner  devised  by  himself,  and  full  of  energy  and 
skill,  the  hairs  tossed  on  various  sides,  and  arranged 
according  to  their  natural  position  above  and  below, 
finishing  the  work  in  the  highest  excellence  by  the 
introduction  of  its  proper  lights. 

He  claimed  that  he  found  it  less  easy  to  make 
good  hands  and  feet  than  good  heads,  not  on 
account  of  their  intrinsic  difficulties,  but  because 
they  naturally  called  out  less  attention.  For  this 
reason  he  continually  adjured  his  pupils  to  study 


MINUTE  FINISH.  95 

these  parts  A\ath  great  care,  and  marvelled  that  the 
Roman  artists  of  his  time  made  such  inferior  hands 
and  feet,  when  they  could  avail  themselves  of  such 
beautiful  models  in  the  antique  statues.  He  was 
once  requested  to  instruct  a  youth  in  the  art  of  draw- 
ing eyes,  and  answered  :  "  I  have  designed  millions 
upon  millions  of  them,  but  yet  I  do  not  know  how 
to  make  them."  Afterwards  Paolino,  formerly  his 
fellow-pupil  with  Calvart,  was  admiring  a  sketch  of 
that  master's  head,  when  Guido  demanded  what  he 
found  in  it  so  wonderful.  "  The  eyes,  which  I  have 
never  been  able  to  succeed  in,  although  I  have 
drawn  so  many,"  said  Paolino.  "  I  believe  it,"  an- 
swered the  master,  "  for  at  last  I  have  learned  how 
to  portray  them,  since  I  have  dissected  eyes  for  the 
purpose." 

He  was  accustomed  to  say  that  he  esteemed  only 
those  pictures  which  he  made  by  bits,  alluding  to 
the  nicety  of  their  parts,  which  was  his  chief  intent. 
A  similar  thought  is  contained  in  another  of  his 
aphorisms  :  "  Those  pictures  may  truly  be  called 
beautiful  and  perfect  which  grow  every  day  under 
the  sight ;  since  there  are  also  those  which  arrest 
attention  at  first,  by  a  certain  obstreperous  motion, 
but  the  more  minutely  they  are  examined,  each  day 


96  CUIDO. 

more  and  more  they  are  seen  to  be  botched,  and 
to  lack  dignity  and  perfection.  The  true  artist 
should  keep  in  a  middle  course,  and  give  a  sufifi- 
ciency  of  motion  to  his  figures,  and  only  as  much 
as  is  demanded  by  the  action  which  they  repre- 
sent." 

He  also  said  that  any  one  who  had  studied  as 
much  as  he  had,  would  have  made  more  profit  than 
he  had  been  able  to,  and  whoever  wished  to  have 
this  demonstrated  needed  only  to  compare  his  first 
works  with  those  of  his  later  years.  Being  interro- 
gated sometimes  by  dilettants  or  buyers,  whether  a 
certain  one  of  his  juvenile  works  really  came  from 
his  hand,  he  would  say,  "  Yes,  it  is  by  Guido,  but 
by  Guido  when  he  was  a  silly  youth." 

He  held  a  firm  opinion  that  silk  was  more 
exempt  than  canvas  from  danger  of  decay,  and 
frequently  used  that  material  for  his  pictures.  He 
made  the  discovery  accidentally,  when  the  Domin- 
icans exhumed  the  remains  of  the  famous  juris- 
consult. Dr.  Tartagna,  and  on  opening  the  coffin, 
the  skeleton  crumbled  at  a  touch,  and  the  shirt  of 
linen  fell  to  pieces,  while  the  silken  robe  remained 
intact.  The  Pallione  del  Voto,  the  Archangel 
Michael,    and    the    SpiUmberto    Madonna,    were 


MINERAL   COLORS.  97 

painted  on  silk,  with  several  other  notable  works ; 
and  a  considerable  quantity  of  white  silk  was  found 
in  the  studio  after  the  master's  death. 

He  made  a  liberal  use  of  ultramarine  and  terra 
verde,  by  whose  combination  he  formed  delict  <•'» 
and  gentle  shadings.  In  opposition  to  the  masters 
who  had  preceded  him,  Guido  freely  availed  him- 
self of  white  lead,  though  Ludovico  Caracci  had 
said  that  an  artist  should  meditate  for  an  entire 
year  before  putting  down  a  brush-full  of  that  paint. 
Yet  the  wisdom  of  this  choice  of  material  appeared 
later,  when  Guido's  white  lead  had  deepened  into 
yellow,  reducing  the  general  coloring  to  a  fine 
natural  tone ;  while  the  paintings  of  his  contem- 
poraries had  blackened  until  their  high  lights  were 
entirely  lost.  He  also  resisted  the  tendency  of  the 
artists  of  the  time  to  use  heavy  and  unnatural 
shadows ;  and  filled  his  pictures  with  a  calm  and 
peaceful  radiance,  as  if  coming  from  a  clear  and 
open  luminary.  These  Mght  and  brilliant  works 
won  for  him,  from  the  common  people,  the  title  of 
"  The  Painter  of  Paradise." 


98  CUIDO. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Guide's  Devoutness.  —  Personal  Appearance.  —  Eating  and  Sleep- 
ing. —  Gambling.  —  Literary  Adulation.  —  Generosity. 

The  fear  of  God  was  always  the  first  principle 
which  Guido  inculcated  in  his  pupils,  teaching 
them  also  true  modesty  by  his  own  example.  In 
their  conversations  and  merrymakings,  to  which  he 
never  showed  himself  averse,  evil  words  were  sel- 
dom heard,  and  he  kept  his  familiar  friends  from 
such  speaking.  One  of  his  familiar  sayings  was, 
that  in  his  profession  one  could  not  do  well  unless 
he  lived  well,  since  power  and  virtue  could  not 
subsist  in  the  same  breast  with  vice.  His  purity  of 
life  was  never  impugned,  nor  was  there  ever  any 
gossip  or  scandal  derogatory  thereto.  He  always 
appeared  as  a  block  of  marble,  in  the  presence  and 
contemplation  of  the  beautiful  models  whom  he 
sometimes  employed,  and  would  not  be  left  alone 
with  them.  Malvasia  says  that  "  he  was  watched 
by  a  hundred  eyes,  curious  to  discover  something, 


GREAT  FAITH.  99 

and  chiefly  when  he  left  his  house  after  sunset ;  '' 
but  these  invidious  spies  failed  to  find  any  cause 
for  blame. 

He  was  most  devout  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  going 
eveiy  Sabbath,  while  a  young  man,  to  adore  her 
miraculous  picture ;  and  every  evening  (while  in 
Bologna) ,  as  long  as  he  lived,  he  went  without  fail 
to  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  delle  Vite.  Many 
therefore,  in  those  days,  believed  that  the  Queen 
of  Heaven  was  so  charmed  with  his  devotion,  as 
well  as  his  purity  of  life,  that  she  deigned  to  appear 
visibly  to  him,  —  "  since  no  painter  of  all  the  centu- 
ries ever  knew  how  to  represent  her  more  beautiful 
at  once  and  modest." 

Finding  himself  in  bed  one  day,  with  an  infirm- 
ity in  the  feet  which  compelled  him  to  lie  still,  he 
heard  that  the  image  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Rosary 
was  being  borne  in  procession  through  the  Square  ; 
whereupon  he  commanded  Marco  to  look  stead- 
fastly out  of  the  window,  and  Avatch  well  if  among 
the  crowd  he  could  not  see  Guido  Reni.  The 
attendant,  fearing  that  *his  master  was  delirious, 
exclaimed  :  "  How  can  that  be,  my  lord,  if  he  is  in 
bed,  and  cannot  go  out?"  To  which  the  artist, 
weak  in  body  but  mighty  in  faith,  made  answer : 


lOO  GUIDO. 

"  This,  and  even  greater  things  than  this,  are  pos- 
sible to  the  Mother  of  God,  my  Marco."  On  the 
following  morning  he  was  well  again,  and  hastened 
to  Santa  Maria  delle  Vite  to  offer  thanks  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  bearing  to  her  shrine  two  feet  made 
of  sheet-gold. 

While  yet  a  child,  he  heard,  every  Christmas  eve 
for  seven  continuous  years,  a  violent  knocking  on 
his  chamber  door ;  nor  was  the  cause  of  this  mys- 
terious sound  ever  ascertained.  Another  prognos- 
tic, noted  by  the  ancient  chroniclers,  was  in  the 
form  of  a  ball  of  fire,  of  the  size  of  an  egg,  which 
awakened  him  every  night  for  several  years  by 
appearing  on  his  bed. 

He  refused  to  allow  any  one  to  throw  the  least 
doubt  on  his  devoutness.  The  venerable  Canon 
Pinchiari,  one  of  Guido's  nearest  friends,  had  com- 
missioned the  master  to  retouch  a  copy  of  'The 
Crucifixion,'  which  was  about  to  be  sent  abroad, 
and  Guido  resolved  to  put  his  work  on  the  figure 
of  St.  John,  saying  that  that  of  the  Virgin  needed 
no  change.  Eut  afterward?  he  improved  the  latter 
also,  upon  which  the  Canon  thanked  him,  and  said 
that  he  had  indeed  wondered  that  he  should  have 
shown   more   partiality   to   St.   John   than   to    the 


JEALOUS  ORTHODOXY.  lOl 

Mother  of  God.  The  artist  made  no  answer,  but 
thought  deeply,  and  when  Pinchiari  came  again,  he 
received  him  with  scant  courtesy,  and  said,  "  What 
am  I  to  infer  from  your  words  of  yesterday  ?  Know 
that  I  am  as  good  a  Christian  and  as  devoted  to  the 
Virgin  Mary  as  you  or  any  other  man.  You  have 
an  evil  heart ;  and  I  renounce  your  friendship  for 
ever."  So  saying,  he  drove  the  amazed  ecclesiastic 
from  the  room,  and  gave  him  no  chance  to  excul- 
pate himself,  though  he  begged  that  he  might  be 
heard. 

Battistone,  his  last  model,  ventured  one  day  to 
suggest  that  he  had  never  given  him  any  designs, 
and  when  Guido  acceded  to  his  request,  most  gen- 
erously, he  promised  to  ascend  the  Monte  della 
Guardia,  and  pray  to  the  holy  picture  painted  by 
St.  Luke,  on  behalf  of  his  master's  health.  "  And 
who  are  you,"  cried  the  artist,  "to  promise  me  such 
great  things  ?  Thou  showest  thyself  a  rogue  and  a 
knave  to  come  to  me  in  this  way,  and  I  hold  my 
conscience  to  be  as  good  as  yours,  although  I  am 
o  great  a  sinner." 

He  was  always  in  great  fear  of  sorcery  and  poi- 
soning, and  for  that  reason  he  could  not  endure 
women  in  his  house,  abhorring  to  have  any  deal- 


I02  GUIDO. 

ings  with  them,  and,  when  such  were  unavoidable, 
hurrying  them  tlirough  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Old 
women  were  his  especial  detestation,  and  he  always 
fled  from  them,  and  lamented  grievously  if  one  of 
them  should  appear  when  he  was  about  beginning 
or  closing  some  commission. 

In  his  servants  he  sought  great  simplicity  and 
good-nature,  and  the  latter  trait  they  found  con- 
tinual need  of.  He  once  found  a  woman's  shift 
among  his  clean  clothes,  upon  which  he  flew  into  a 
towering  rage,  and  ordered  that  all  his  garments 
should  be  plunged  into  pure  water,  and  re-dried, 
and  that  Marco  should  henceforth  do  all  his  wash- 
ing in  the  house,  and  with  his  own  hands. 

The  master  feared  incantations  from  Albano, 
whom  he  charged  with  hating  him  more  intensely 
than  any  other  painter  had  ever  done.  He  said 
that  while  he  and  Albano  were  intimate  friends,  at 
Rome,  the  latter  was  given  to  profound  discussions 
about  these  necromancers ;  wherefore  he  privately 
called  him  the  wizard,  and  afterwards  meeting  him, 
he  felt  his  hair  stand  on  end  with  terror. 

One  morning  Guido  was  passing  through  the 
fish-market,  and  was  being  revered  as  usual  by  all 
the  venders  of  fish,  when  one  of  them,  a  simple 


WITCHCRAFT.  1 03 

fellow,  cried  out,  "  Oh  !  blessed  be  those  hands  of 
thine,"  and  strove  to  clasp  and  kiss  them.  Draw- 
ing himself  suddenly  back,  the  master  shouted, 
"  Stay  thyself,  thou  scoundrel !  Why  dost  thou 
say,  '  Blessed  be  those  hands '  ?  Believest  thou 
that  I  do  not  understand  and  know  thee,  thou 
sorcerer?"  The  terrified  fishmonger  crossed  his 
arms,  and  begged  for  pardon,  while  Guido,  seizing 
an  iron  implement  lying  at  hand,  stood  fast  in  the 
act  of  throwing  it  at  his  breast.  Finally  the  artist 
cast  the  weapon  aside,  and  went  away  muttering. 

Malvasia  narrates  the  following  strange  conversa- 
tion :  "  As  I  was  one  day  watching  Guido  at  his 
painting,  he  demanded  of  me  whether  a  person 
could  be  bewitched  in  the  hands  so  that  he  could 
no  more  use  the  brush,  or  could  be  forced  to  work 
badly ;  seeing  that  at  times  he  imagined  in  his 
mind  and  saw  as  present  before  him  most  beautiful 
conceptions,  and  his  stubborn  and  wayward  hands 
would  not  obey  his  intellect,  and  absolutely  refused 
to  portray  the  new  ideas.  I  frankly  answered  No, 
and  endeavored,  as  well  as  one  so  young  could,  to 
find  some  apparent  reason  therefor.  Thereupon  he 
rejoined  that  a  Frenchman  told  him  a  secret,  at 
Rome,  by  which,  merely  by  touching  one's  hand 


I04  GUIDO. 

amicably,  the  possessor  could  bring  upon  him  an 
incurable  sickness,  of  which  he  should  die,  the 
while  the  slayer  was  protected  by  a  certain  anti- 
dote." 

Guido  went  one  day  to  the  Merlini  Palace,  to 
paint,  and  found  there  certain  documents  affixed  to 
the  wall,  which  aroused  such  a  rage  in  his  breast 
that  he  would  not  touch  his  brushes  again  until  the 
offending  papers  were  removed,  by  the  orders  of 
Monsignor  Merlini.  A  laborer  also  came  to  the 
palace  to  split  wood,  and  Guido  gathered  up  as 
many  of  the  fragments  as  he  could  carry  in  his 
handkerchief,  and  took  them  home  as  a  precious 
thing,  praising  the  beauty  of  the  veins  in  the  wood. 

While  living  on  the  Roman  Ripetta,  Guido  was 
aroused  one  night  by  hearing  people  fumbling  along 
the  side  of  his  house,  in  search  of  the  door.  When 
he  had  challenged  them,  he  was  answered  by  Gala- 
nino,  a  brother  artist,  who  craved  a  night's  lodging 
for  himself  and  a  comrade.  This  being  granted, 
Galanino  entered,  followed  by  two  porters,  bearing 
a  coffin  in  which  was  the  body  of  his  son,  recently 
deceased  at  Naples,  and  now  become  the  comrade 
to  whom  Guido  had  unwittingly  given  shelter. 
The  superstitious  master  was  kept  awake  all  night 
by  the  presence  of  so  strange  a  guest. 


HIS  HOME.  105 

Guido  delighted  in  dwelling  in  splendid  houses, 
wdth  many  rooms  ;  and  he  lavished  money  freely  to 
attain  these  ends.  He  was  content  with  the  ex- 
ternal splendor,  and  furnished  the  rooms  scantily, 
providing  them  only  with  such  things  as  were  barely 
essential,  and  chiefly  in  the  culinary  department. 
Being  over-persuaded  once  by  his  friends,  in  oppo- 
sition to  his  own  tastes,  he  ordered  twelve  velvet- 
covered  chairs  and  some  costly  ornaments,  but  he 
never  had  any  pleasure  in  them,  and  said  that  he 
preferred  to  see  his  rooms  encumbered  with  can- 
vases, rather  than  adorned  with  furniture.  When 
some  one  remarked  that  he  needed  such  things  in 
order  to  receive  worthily  the  visits  of  his  great 
patrons,  he  replied,  "  They  do  me  these  favors  as  a 
painter,  not  as  a  cavaher ;  and  therefore  they  come 
to  see  pictures,  not  to  appraise  household  goods." 

The  place  in  which  Guido  established  his  studio 
aiiu  home  was  the  great  building  once  occupied  as 
a  hospital,  which  fronted  on  the  public  square  of 
Bologna,  near  the  Church  of  San  Petronio.  Sev- 
eral other  artists  had  their  studios  in  this  same 
locality.  The  structure  is  still  pointed  out  to  trav- 
ellers, and  retains  some  of  the  frescos  with  which 
Guido  adorned  it. 


Io6  GUIDO. 

He  purchased  a  coach,  for  the  use  of  his  mother, 
but  she  did  not  care  to  go  out  in  it,  wherefore  the 
students  had  the  control  of  it  ahnost  ahvays,  and 
rode  daily  to  merrymakings  and  parties.  At  last 
the  master  sold  this  useless  vehicle,  and  one  of  the 
pupils,  little  pleased  at  losing  so  pleasant  a  means 
of  amusement,  endeavored  to  pique  him  by  saying 
that  Rubens  kept  six  carriages.  The  wise  answer 
was,  "  We  should  try  to  imitate  such  great  men  in 
their  virtues,  not  in  their  pomps." 

Several  portraits  of  Guido  are  now  in  existence, 
the  best  of  which  is  that  which  he  himself  painted, 
and  which  is  now  preserved  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery, 
at  Florence.  Another  portrait,  by  his  own  hand,  is 
in  the  Capitoline  Gallery,  at  Rome ;  and  a  third, 
painted  when  the  master  was  quite  old,  by  his 
whilom  pupil  Pesarese,  is  now  in  the  Bologna 
Pinacotcca. 

Malvasia  thus  describes  Guido's  personal  appear- 
ance :  "  He  was  of  fair  stature,  well  formed,  and  of 
athletic  figure,  thus  being  fitted  to  resist  the  pains 
and  fatigues  of  art.  Of  palest  complexion,  with 
color  in  the  cheeks,  the  eyes  sky-blue,  the  nose, 
with  the  nostrils  somewhat  elevated,  and  that 
pulsated  like  that  of  a  lion,  when  he  was  angry,  — 


DAINTINESS.  107 

in  short,  most  handsome,  well  made,  and  of  parts 
and  members  corresponding.  The  hands  long, 
and  the  same  as  to  the  feet,  faulty,  somewhat,  in 
their  largeness.  By  nature  he  was  melancholy,  but 
moved  at  times  by  spirit  and  vivacity,  and  in  con- 
sequence apt  at  speculations  and  at  study,  vrhich 
weU  becomes  a  painter ;  and  from  all  these  external 
signs  it  appeared  that  he  was  born  for  that  profes- 
sion. Furthermore,  he  breathed  out  a  certain  great- 
ness of  character  and  gravity,  which  exceeded  his 
rank  in  life,  and  drew  forth  from  all,  even  from  the 
nobles,  a  secret  respect  and  veneration." 

He  delighted  in  a  scrupulous  neatness,  which 
was  observable  in  all  his  belongings.  His  raiment 
was  of  the  most  excellent  that  was  used  at  that 
time,  and  yet  sober  and  quiet  in  tone,  consisting 
of  silk  in  summer  and  velvet  and  Spanish  woollen 
in  winter.  His  record  of  expenses  shows  that  he 
used  to  pay  fifty  to  sixty  crowns  for  each  of  his 
mantles,  and  even  more  for  the  robes  which  his 
mother  wore.  He  enjoyed  precious  stones,  and  it 
is  recorded  that  he  once  painted  a  large  picture  of 
Venus,  in  exchange  for  a  diamond  valued  at  150 
crowns. 

Guido   was   moderate   in   eating,  and   confined 


loS  GUIDO. 

himself  rigorously  to  the  two  usual  meals,  preferring 
hearty  and  simple  food  to  delicate  and  highly  sea- 
soned dishes.  Besides  soup,  which  he  ate  both 
morning  and  evening,  his  favorite  aliments  were 
fruit,  of  which  he  took  large  quantities,  and  milk- 
foods,  chiefly  cheese,  of  which  he  kept  various 
kinds  on  the  table,  and  relished  the  taste  very 
much.  His  bread  and  wine  were  bought  in  small 
quantities  daily,  at  the  tavern,  the  latter  being  of 
both  the  red  and  the  wHite  varieties.  He  drank 
his  wine  watered,  and  never  took  it  at  meals,  pre- 
ferring to  use  pure  water  then. 

His  slumber  was  hard  and  unrestful,  since  he 
only  retired  after  midnight,  when  impelled  by 
weariness,  and  had  little  care  for  lying  down  in 
a  comfortable  manner.  In  summer,  for  the  most 
part,  he  rested  on  a  couch  propped  up  by  a  low 
stool,  perhaps  as  a  measure  of  self-mortification,  or 
else  to  enable  him  to  keep  his  throat  clear.  Being 
assailed  sometimes,  on  summer  nights,  by  severe 
coughing-spells,  he  would  summon  his  servant, 
and,  lying  on  his  face,  have  his  back  pounded  by 
the  attendant's  fists  until  he  felt  relief.  Occasion- 
ally he  felt  the  need  of  repose,  on  a  languid  sum- 
mer  day,   upon   which   he   would   throw  down  a 


HIS   WRITING.  109 

cartoon-sheet  on  the  bare  ground,  and  stretch  him- 
self out  thereon,  and  sleep  quietly. 

He  was  accustomed  to  rise  from  bed  in  good 
season,  and  the  first  regular  act  of  the  day,  which 
he  never  neglected,  was  to  attend  mass.  In  the 
early  morning  hours,  he  kept  the  windows  closed, 
to  shut  out  the  noises  on  the  Piazza ;  and  devoted 
himself  to  planning  the  compositions  which  he  was 
about  to  begin,  and  refining  the  details  for  those 
already  under  way.  This  manner  of  labor,  improv- 
ing the  freshest  hours  of  the  day,  was  common 
also  among  the  Italian  poets. 

Guido's  writing  was  incorrect,  both  as  to  expres- 
sion and  chirography,  wherefore  Malvasia,  who 
possessed  so  many  of  his  letters,  was  unable  to 
quote  them,  preferring  to  give  their  substance. 
No  one  would  have  inferred,  from  his  diction  or 
his  handwriting,  that  he  was  a  great  painter,  al- 
though such  should  have  been  the  case  according 
to  his  own  theory,  that  character  is  shown  out  in 
penmanship.  He  said  that  "  handsome  and  well- 
conducted  writing  denotes  a  composed  and  tran- 
quil spirit ;  when  stinted  and  diminutive,  an  ill- 
humored  and  irresolute  man ;  the  spreading  and 
bombastic,  a  proud  and  vainglorious  man ;   when 


flO  GUIDO. 

irregular  and  disordered,  a  whimsical  and  eccentric 
brain."  When  he  wished  to  correspond  with  great 
lords,  he  availed  himself  of  the  always  wilHng  ser- 
vices of  Rinaldi,  whom  he  rewarded  with  designs 
and  drawings. 

He  was  a  poor  correspondent,  and  with  difficulty 
forced  himself  to  write,  though  probably  for  other 
reasons  than  a  knowledge  of  his  erratic  chirogra- 
phy  and  orthography,  which  were  almost  universal 
faults  in  his  time.  Nevertheless  he  conducted  a 
prolonged  exchange  of  letters  in  cipher  with  Bon- 
compagni,  the  priest  of  the  Chiesa  Nuova  at  Rome, 
in  which  the  two  \vriters  kept  each  other  informed 
as  to  the  current  events  in  Italy.  Another  of  his 
regular  correspondents  was  Tassoni  of  Modena, 
some  time  a  painter,  but  who  afterwards  retired  on 
a  beautiful  rural  estate  which  he  received  in  his 
wife's  dowry.  Some  one  in  Rome  wrote  him  fre- 
quent letters,  to  which  he  sent  no  answer ;  and  one 
day  he  was  heard  complaining  that  he  had  mis- 
laid one  of  them.  A  friend  asked  him  why  he 
troubled  himself  about  it,  since  he  never  even 
opened  the  letters  ;  and  Guido  rejoined  :  "  Because 
I  wish  to  make  them  all  into  a  packet,  and  send  it 
to  him,  so  that  it  will  serve  as  a  sufficient  and 


SCULPTURE.  Ill 

silent  answer,  and  show  him  in  what  account   I 
hold  his  letters." 

He  found  much  pleasure  in  etching,  and  Bartsch 
gives  a  list  of  over  sixty  plates  from  his  hand. 
These  are  executed  in  a  free  and  spirited  manner, 
with  great  beauty  in  the  heads  and  hands  of  the 
figures. 

Guido  also  made  bas-reliefs,  the  most  famous  of 
which  was  the  so-called  head  of  Seneca,  which 
was  a  favorite  model  in  the  art-schools  of  Bologna. 
He  formed  this  work  from  a  slave,  whom  he  found 
on  the  Ripa,  at  Rome,  and  modelled  him  as  he 
stood.  While  yet  a  youth  he  made  the  handsome 
statue  of  St.  Peter,  which  was  placed  m  the  Church 
of  St.  Christina.  He  also  carved  a  head  of  the 
Saviour,  and  modelled  a  cherub,  the  former  of 
which  was  given  to  Marco,  and  the  latter  to  Sirani. 
Many  other  works  of  this  kind  he  also  did ;  and  he 
was  fond  of  amusing  himself  by  modeUing  in  clay. 

His  early  studies  in  music  were  not  indeed 
profitless,  for  he  retained  and  enjoyed  much  of 
what  he  had  learned.  He  kept  a  harpsichord  in 
one  of  his  rooms,  and  turned  to  it,  from  time  to 
time,  to  alleviate  his  artistic  cares  and  to  arouse  his 
spirit.     When  the  young  pupils  heard  him  playing 


112  GUIDO. 

upon  this  rusty  and  venerable  instrument,  they  used 
to  say :  "  Lord  Guido  is  at  his  pounding  again." 
He  was  fond  of  amusing  himself  with  fire,  and 
would  cease  whatever  business  he  was  engaged  in, 
whenever  he  heard  the  fagots  crackhng,  in  order  to 
run  to  them  and  toast  his  hands.  It  was  so,  too, 
with  our  Allston,  who  kept  a  handful  of  sticks  blaz- 
ing on  the  hearth,  even  through  July  and  August. 

In  his  later  years  Guido  became  the  prey  to  an 
inordinate  passion  for  gambling,  and  lost  much  of 
that  illustrious  fame  which  had  become  so  dear  to 
him.  Being  reduced  to  extreme  necessities  by 
heavy  losses,  and  having  contracted  debts  which  it 
was  beyond  his  ability  to  pay,  he  gave  himself  to 
painting  hasty  and  unworthy  portraits,  at  unseason- 
able hours,  and  to  inconsiderately  finishing  his  his- 
torical and  religious  compositions.  He  abandoned 
every  thing  in  exchange  for  money ;  borrowed  from 
all  his  friends ;  and  sold  his  time  in  the  studio  at 
so  much  an  hour.  His  favorite  game  at  cards  was 
the  now  obsolete  primero ;  and  he  was  also  fond 
of  playing  chess,  and  betting  on  the  games.  At 
one  time  he  had  saved  12,000  crowns,  with  which 
he  designed  to  found  an  academy  of  art,  but  the 
entire  amount  was   swept  away  at  the  gambling- 


GAMBLING.  I13 

table.  One  evening,  when  he  had  lost  several 
hundred  crowns  on  a  single  bet,  at  primero,  and 
the  other  players  were  amazed  at  the  coolness  with 
which  he  met  his  misfortune,  he  said,  "  Gentlemen, 
these  are  not  legs  nor  arms  which  I  have  lost. 
Provided  that  I  return  h^me  free  and  safe,  every 
other  ill  luck  is  of  little  account." 

One  night,  after  all  his  savings  had  been  haz- 
arded and  swept  away,  he  made  a  further  loss  of 
2,000  pistoles,  for  whose  payment  he  gave  his  word 
of  honor.  The  next  morning  he  went  betimes  to 
the  Hospital  della  Morte,  and  devoted  himself  to 
painting,  with  a  swift  hand  (but  moved  more  by 
contempt  than  by  genius),  the  figure  of  the  Devil, 
trampled  under  foot  by  St.  Bruno.  And  while  he 
painted,  he  sang,  as  if  to  temper  the  bitterness  of 
his  soul,  in  his  evil  posture  before  men.  This  great 
picture  was  painted  for  the  Carthusian  Monastery, 
near  Bologna  (the  same  which  is  now  the  city 
cemetery) . 

By  this  and  other  pictures  the  master  gained 
enough  money  to  meet  his  obligations,  and  make 
him  once  more  at  ease  with  the  world.  But  he 
had  hardly  reached  this  point  when  he  was  again 
tempted,  and  lost  2,800  pistoles  in  a  single  even- 


1 14  GUIDO. 

ing,  wherefore  the  rest  and  repose  which  he  should 
have  enjoyed  after  his  previous  intense  lab(/rs  were 
denied  him,  and  he  was  spurred  on  to  fresh 
fatigues.  Finally  he  fled  to  the  house  of  the 
silversmith  Jacobs,  and  that  shrewd  old  man  mani- 
fested now  the  same  tact  which  had  made  him  suc- 
cessful in  the  jewelry-trade,  and  thought  to  enrich 
himself  with  the  painting  of  such  a  great  master. 
Observing  that  certain  Bolognese  brokers  bought 
as  many  of  Guido's  pictures  as  they  could,  at  50 
crowns  each,  and  then  sent  them  into  France,  and 
got  at  least  100  crowns  for  each  of  them,  and 
ascertaining  also  that  that  swift  pencil  could  sketch 
out  and  finish  a  picture  in  three  hours,  he  hired 
Guido  for  40  crowns  a  day,  stipulating  that  each 
day's  work  should  consist  of  not  less  than  four 
hours.  Guido  said :  "  These  40  crowns  will  be 
gained  without  any  trouble  and  almost  in  sport,  for 
I  shall  take  these  four  hours  from  those  which  I 
ordinarily  give  to  pleasure  and  repose,  after  toiling 
on  the  more  important  works  which  are  under  way, 
and  whereof  I  shall  have  grown  weary.  If  I  can 
bring  myself  to  muse  and  sketch  from  memory  for 
three  or  four  hours  every  evening,  what  a  valuable 
course  of  study  it  will  be,  furnishing  me  with  a 


REFORM  AND  RELAPSE.  1 15 

good  capital  of  fresh  ideas,  of  which  I  can  avail 
myself  in  the  figures  in  my  larger  compositions." 
But  this  mode  of  labor  was  not  of  long  duration, 
for  Guido,  having  reformed,  repented  of  being  an 
hireling,  and  especially  on  account  of  the  avidity 
of  his  employer. 

Such  pains  and  humiliations  taught  Guido  a 
salutary  lesson,  and  having  paid  off  all  his  debts 
he  deposited  his  gains  in  the  bank  for  two  entire 
years.  But  this  was  only  a  truce,  and  not  a  last- 
ing peace ;  and  at  the  end  of  those  two  years  he 
returned  to  his  old  vice,  and  began  once  more  to 
play  heavily.  As  if  to  deal  him  a  harder  blow  than 
ever,  fate  favored  him  at  first,  and  he  won  uninter- 
ruptedly every  evening  for  three  weeks.  His  gains 
amounted  to  4,000  pistoles,  and  his  friends  advised 
him  to  be  content  therewith,  to  invest  the  money, 
and  to  forswear  gambling  forever.  But  he  dis- 
dained all  advice,  and  controverted  these  argu- 
ments with  pungent  and  witty  remarks,  preferring 
to  continue  in  his  old  ways.  The  result  was,  that 
in  three  evenings  he  lost  the  4,000  pistoles,  and 
also  all  the  funds  which  he  had  accumulated  at  the 
bank.  But  the  intrepid  old  artist  showed  no  signs 
of  grief,  and  spoke  of  his  misfortune  as  a  matter 


Il6  GUI  DO. 

of  destiny.  Nay,  he  even  rejoiced  at  it,  with 
cheerful  philosophy,  saying,  "  God  be  praised  that 
I  am  now  free  from  the  greatest  vexations  of  the 
world  !  Since  I  got  those  detestable  winnings,  I 
have  never  known  peace,  and  I  have  lost  the  tran- 
quillity which  I  enjoyed  before  those  12,000  crowns 
came  to  afflict  my  liberty.  I  could  no  longer  trust 
my  servants,  I  suspected  my  nearest  friends,  and 
was  fearful  of  every  one.  I  was  uneasy  all  day, 
and  could  not  repose  at  night,  wherefore  I  could 
not  find  an  hour  of  quietness,  day  nor  night. 
Now,  please  God,  I  have  come  out  from  idleness, 
and  resumed  my  duties.  I  have  lost  vice,  and  re- 
won  virtue.  Now  I  shall  paint  more  than  ever,  to 
the  mortification  of  my  enemies,  who  published 
abroad  that  I  was  so  much  immersed  in  gambling, 
which,  in  spite  of  them,  is  an  honorable  and  just 
entertainment,  and  is  called  a  crime  only  by  those 
who  have  not  the  capital  nor  the  spirit  to  practise  it. 
I  will  let  them  see  if  I  am  not  the  man  I  once  was, 
and  also  whether  I  cautiously  sought  the  winnings 
of  the  gaming-table  to  repair  the  losses  attendant 
on  age,  and  a  lost  prowess,  as  I  know  that  they 
have  reported.  If  I  shall  not  leave  the  immense 
hoard  that  I  could  collect,  as  Rubens  did,  whom 


GRIEF  COMETH.  II 7 

does  that  concern  ?  or  whose  affair  is  it  ?  Shall  it 
be  a  matter  of  grief  to  my  wife,  when  I  have  no 
wife?  Or  my  sons?  Or  brothers?  For  whom 
then  ought  I  to  accumulate,  and  to  what  end?  " 

With  these  and  similar  arguments  he  sealed  ihe 
mouths  of  all,  and  praised  that  refractory  inclina- 
tion that  now  more  than  ever  took  full  possession 
of  him.  During  a  month  in  his  rooms,  and  two 
more  at  the  clubs,  his  adversaries  won  from  him 
every  thing  which  he  carried  there ;  wherefore 
pledging  always  more  and  more  his  work,  he  did 
not  refuse  to  accept  payments  on  his  time  far  in 
advance.  His  debts  finally  passed  the  limit  of 
possibility  of  payment ;  and  it  was  said  that  how- 
ever far  his  life  was  prolonged,  he  could  never  have 
worked  enough  to  discharge  his  obligations  and 
meet  his  bonds. 

He  now  observed  that  his  friends  had  grown 
cold,  and  the  dilettants  kept  away  from  his  first 
exhibitions ;  and  that  in  the  assembUes,  where  he 
had  formerly  been  welcomed  and  attended  with 
such  great  courtesy,  he  was  now  shunned  and 
feared.  He  prepared  a  number  of  canvases,  and 
sat  down  before  them,  to  divert  his  mind  from  its 
crushing  cares;    and  also   endeavored    to    finish 


Ii8  GUIDO.    ■ 

many  of  the  incomplete  works  then  in  the  studio. 
But  wearied  and  confused  by  their  multipUcity,  and 
hotly  besieged  by  creditors,  he  lost  heart,  and  did 
no  more  than  to  stand  musing,  concentrated  in 
himself.  Sometimes  he  suddenly  started  up,  and 
for  a  long  time  walked  to  and  fro  rapidly;  and 
often  he  arose  at  midnight,  and  remained  until  the 
break  of  day,  talking  to  himself  and  sighing,  so 
that  it  was  feared  that  he  would  pass  into  a 
delirium. 

The  brother  of  Cardinal  Colonna  asked  him  if 
he  would  stake  one  of  his  pictures  at  play  against 
500  crowns,  and  he  replied  :  "  I  will  put  up -a  thou- 
sand pistoles  against  another  thousand,  on  the  first 
throw,  but  as  to  pictures,  certainly  not.  My  paint- 
ings are  not  given  up  to  the  chances  of  luck :  they 
are  conceded  only  by  favor." 

He  was  once  chosen  joint-trustee  with  a  certain 
knight  for  the  construction  of  a  sumptuous  monu- 
ment over  the  remains  of  the  forty  holy  martyrs,  in 
the  famous  Basilica  of  St.  Stephen.  The  two  com- 
missioners disagreed  about  certain  details,  and  the 
knight,  waxing  angry,  stigmatized  his  colleague  as 
a  plebeian.  Blazing  with  wrath,  Guido  rejoined, 
"How  a  plebeian?     He   is   the   greater  plebeian 


ANECDOTES.  ng 

who  fails  in  respect  to  virtue.  I  appeal  to  the 
judgment  of  the  princes  who  have  esteemed  and 
honored  me  so  greatly,  as  to  whether  I  am  such  as 
thou  sayest."  Upon  which  he  flew  to  his  house, 
and  seized  a  brace  of  pistols,  with  which  he  re- 
turned and  hunted  long  and  eagerly  for  the  knight, 
who  was  nevertheless  prudently  invisible,  though 
reputed  to  be  a  brave  and  high-spirited  man. 

One  day  he  was  crossing  the  Piazza,  when  he 
was  struck  on  the  shoulder  by  an  apple,  which  one 
of  the  wild  youths  of  the  street  had  thrown  at  a 
comrade.  Guido  bought  half  a  dozen  apples  at 
an  adjacent  stand,  and  slowly  and  softly  drew  near 
the  thrower,  upon  whom  he  presently  opened  such 
a  volley  that  the  fellow  fled  in  great  dismay.  At 
another  time  he  was  at  the  theatre,  when  the  gen- 
tleman next  to  him,  moving,  struck  him  in  the  leg 
with  his  sword,  upon  which  the  artist  exclaimed, 
"  Keep  still  with  thy  sword ;  and  if  thou  dost  not 
know  how  to  manage  it  better,  go  out  and  buy  an 
ox-goad  in  place  of  it." 

Cesare  Bianchetti  once  sent  him  a  superb  ■  pres- 
ent of  choice  silks,  preserves,  sugars,  wax  candles, 
and  perfumes,  together  with  two  great  plates  of 
various  kinds   of   cheeses,   brought   from   varioui 


I20  GUIDO. 

remote  regions  for  the  purpose.  But  the  sus-  " 
picious  artist  returned  them  all,  believing  that 
Bianchetti  wished  to  win  some  unfair  and  unworthy 
advantage  from  him.  Another  friend  sent  him  a 
great  cheese,  of  that  delicious  variety  for  which 
Piacenza  was  then  famous.  It  was  borne  by  two 
porters;  and  he  ordered  them  to  carry  it  back 
forthwith,  saying  :  "  This  is  a  gift  fit  only  for  those 
who  brought  it  here." 

He  was  wont  to  call  Gessi  and  Sementi  his  lords 
chamberlain,  and  Loli  and  Sirani  afterwards  suc- 
ceeded to  their  offices.  One  of  his  standing  orders 
to  these  was,  that  they  should  never  respond  to  the 
questions  of  strangers  to  whom  they  might  show 
the  pictures,  "  because  either  they  ask  out  of  igno- 
rance, and  it  would  be  folly  to  try  to  rescue  them 
from  their  stupidity,  and  make  them  capable ;  or 
else  they  are  shrewd  and  wish  to  overreach  us,  and 
it  is  well  to  show  that  we  know  how  to  quiz  as  well 
as  they." 

Being  interrogated  by  a  certain  great  lord,  as  to 
which  was  the  best  picture  he  had  ever  painted,  he 
said,  "  The  one  on  which  I  am  now  engaged ;  and 
if  I  am  working  on  another  to-morrow,  it  will  be 
that ;  and  the  day  after,  it  will  be  the  one  I  am 
doing  then." 


CONVERSA  TION.  1 2 1 

Of  similar  character  and  temper  were  all  his 
sayings  and  responses,  whence,  it  being  supposed 
that  his  knowledge  equalled  his  judgment,  he  was 
usually  given  credit  for  more  learning  <^han  he  really 
possessed.  He  had  studied  but  little,  and  cared 
nothing  for  reading ;  and  all  his  earlier  years  had 
been  given  to  his  o\vn  secret  sketching  and  the 
musical  exercises  enforced  by  his  father.  One  of 
the  methods  by  which  he  held  his  high  reputation 
among  the  learned  was  the  rare  deftness  with 
which  he  turned  conversations  from  themes  unfa- 
miliar to  him  to  matters  of  art,  or  about  the  mas- 
ters of  his  time,  or  the  news  of  the  day.  When 
he  had  introduced  his  own  topics,  he  spoke  very 
sensibly,  and  with  a  just  disposition  and  agreement 
of  words,  uttered  in  a  rich,  sonorous  voice,  which 
pleased  all  who  heard. 

He  detested  a  retinue  of  pupils  or  of  friends, 
and  sometimes  jested,  when  he  saw  some  one  pass- 
ing, attended  by  such  a  following,  "  He  prides 
himself  like  a  peacock,  with  such  a  tail  of  people." 
Many  times  cavaliers  endeavored  to  walk  with  him 
through  the  streets,  and  to  enjoy  his  company  in 
promenades,  but  he  always  shook  them  off,  prefer- 
ring  to   remain   in   his   rooms.     He   avoided   the 


122  GUI  DO. 

crowds  at  the  festivals,  where  he  was  ahvays  an- 
noyed by  compHments.  He  sought  out  the  less 
frequented  streets,  and  traversed  the  remote  lanes, 
to  free  himself  from  the  reverences  and  salutes, 
which  forced  him  to  stand  continually  with  cap  in 
hand,  and  to  stop  a  thousand  times  on  the  way, 
so  that  he  used  to  say  that  he  found  far  more  com- 
fort in  seclusion  than  in  pastimes.  At  last  he  hit 
upon  the  happy  device  of  remaining  at  home  until 
the  Ave  Maria  bells  had  announced  the  sunset 
hour,  and  the  citizens  had  all  retired  to  their  houses, 
when  he  would  go  out  and  walk  for  an  hour  in  the 
fresh  evening  air,  usually  visiting  the  apothecary 
Bortolo,  to  talk  over  the  news  of  the  world,  with 
Zanetti  and  other  friends. 

When  any  one  tried  to  abuse  the  generous  court- 
esy of  the  master,  and  to  besiege  his  grace,  he  was 
apt  to  harden  his  heart  against  them  most  sternly. 
Marco  once  aroused  this  spirit,  since,  not  content 
with  the  great  number  of  pictures,  designs,  and  re- 
touches which  the  master  had  made  for  him,  he 
once  urged  him  eagerly  to  finish  a  picture  of  an 
old  man's  head,  with  which,  he  said,  he  wished  to 
discharge  a  debt.  "  How  do  I  enter  into  your 
debts?"   cried  Guide.     "Who  has  made  this  debt 


ANECDOTES.      ,  123 

I  or  you?  Let  him  who  has  contracted  it,  pay  it." 
Another  day  when  the  same  was  praying  him  to 
retouch  a  picture  of  St.  Jerome,  he  said  :  "  I  wish 
to  teach  you,  my  Marco,  how  to  get  as  many  re- 
touches as  you  ever  can  want,  without  importuning 
me.  Study  well  my  originals,  and  these  will  do  you 
the  service." 

Rosselini  sent  to  Guido  the  cartoons  of  the  Two 
Virtues,  which  the  master  had  made  at  Naples  for 
the  Chapel  of  St.  Januarius  and  given  to  him,  pray- 
ing him  to  retouch  them  and  put  in  the  due  lights, 
and  then  to  send  them  back.  But  Guido  said, 
"  This  Rosselini  is  a  discontented  and  troublesome 
fellow,  for  he  sends  these  cartoons  to  Bologna,  to 
be  returned  to  Naples,  and  in  such  journeys  they 
will  be  ruined.  Isn't  he  satisfied  with  the  Venus 
which  I  painted  for  him,  and  which  remunerated 
him  fourfold  for  his  expenditures  on  my  account  ? 
Take  them  away,  since  he  has  not  known  enougii 
vo  Keep  tnem."  The  master  gave  the  cartoons  iu 
Da  Mano,  who  sent  them  to  France,  and  sold  them 
there. 

During  his  later  years,  he  sent  a  picture  to  Rome, 
representing  the  four  seasons  by  four  hfe-sized  fig- 
ures, on  the  order  of  a  certain  embroiderer.     Cor- 


124  a  GUIDO. 

tona  and  others  said  that  he  had  demanded  toe 
much  money  for  this  work,  since  it  was  not  in  his 
former  good  manner,  upon  which  he  rejoined : 
"  Yes,  and  for  the  future  I  shall  demand  a  double 
price  for  this  manner  no  longer  good,  seeing  that 
every  day  these  no-good  pictures  of  mine  are 
re-sold  for  double  my  prices."  Whereupon  he 
changed  his  price  from  loo  to  200  crouois  for  each 
figure,  saying,  "Let  these  fellows  abase  their  pro- 
fession as  far  as  they  will,  yet  in  spite  of  them  I 
shall  always  endeavor  to  sustain  and  uplift  it." 

Orazii,  the  chamberlain  of  the  Cardinal- Legate 
Sacchetti,  was  once  in  the  studio,  chatting  with  the 
master  and  watching  him  work,  and  began  to  praise 
Pietro  da  Cortona,  who  was  then  sojourning  at  the 
Cardinal's  palace,  while  on  his  way  to  Rome. 
Guido  moved  about  uneasily,  meanwhile,  knowing 
that  Cortona  was  inimical  to  him  ;  and  when  Orazii 
said  that  his  guest  was  a  very  saint  in  his  habits,  he 
replied  :  "  I  do  not  believe  in  these  saintlets  as  long 
as  they  live  and  eat.  Indeed,  if  he  were  such  he 
would  not  hate  his  equals  so  heartily,  nor  seek  so 
eagerly  to  discredit  them,  not  only  in  their  profit 
but  also  in  reputation.  Wherefore,  if  these  be  the 
deeds  of  a  saint,  I  leave  it  to  you  to  decide." 


PRIDE.  125 

One  of  his  friends  told  him,  one  day,  that  the 
exceeding  dryness  and  heat  of  the  summer  beto- 
kened that  a  severe  winter  was  approaching,  and 
advised  him  to  lay  in  a  store  of  firewood  betimes. 
Guido  fancied  tliat  it  was  intimated  that  he  lived 
pettily  and  penuriously,  from  hand  to  mouth,  and 
rejoined  :  "  If  you  say  this  for  my  benefit,  you  de- 
ceive yourself,  because,  the  more  money  I  spend, 
the  more  I  enjoy  life."  When  the  same  gentleman 
once  praised  the  foresight  of  those  who  invested 
their  money  in  landed  estates,  to  provide  for  their 
old  age,  the  artist  answered :  "  Whoever  puts  his 
money  into  land,  buries  his  liberty  of  thought  there 
also,  and  makes  his  treasury  in  the  discretion  of 
rustics.  But  these  matters  have  no  interest  for  me, 
since  I  could  live  on  my  store  of  designs  from 
henceforth  till  the  end,  without  further  labor." 

One  day  a  certain  great  prince  was  watching 
Guido  at  his  painting,  when  two  courtiers,  thinking 
themselves  well  retired  from  hearing,  freely  dis- 
cussed the  fact  that  the  artist  kept  his  cap  on  his 
head  meanwhile.  Turning  impetuously  to  them,  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  have  heard  you,  and  know  now  that 
I  am  as  well  acquainted  with  what  is  fitting  as  any 
one  else.     But  there  is  much  difference  between  a 


126  GUIDO. 

virtuoso  and  a  mechanic  ;  and  moreover  Pope  Paul 
V.  accustomed  me  to  work  thus  with  a  covered 
head."  Whereupon  he  removed  his  cap,  and  was 
about  to  tlirow  it  aside,  when  the  Prince  restrained 
his  liand,  and  also  asked  him  to  pardon  the  indis- 
creet courtiers,  whom  he  then  forbade  to  murmur 
any  more.  Soon  afterwards  he  began  to  praise 
Guido's  beautiful  manner  of  painting,  and  his  rare 
facility,  to  the  knights  in  attendance,  and  Count 
Bentivoglio  answered,  "  He  does  indeed  paint  well, 
but  he  gambles  away  his  money  with  equal  ease." 
"  And  if  I  do,"  cried  the  artist,  "  I  gamble  away 
what  is  my  own,  nor  do  I  know  who  can  hold  me 
to  an  account  for  it." 

Returning  one  night  from  the  club,  Guido  saw 
some  people  near  his  house,  and  was  filled  with  ap- 
prehension, since  he  had  in  his  chest  some  4,000 
pistoles,  which  he  had  won  in  gaming.  The  follow- 
ing night  he  armed  himself  with  a  musket,  ana 
sought  about  the  house  for  suspicious  characters, 
and  having  met  Corporal  Strascino,  of  the  city 
police,  he  assaulted  him,  and  said  that  he  knew  his 
schemes  and  thoughts,  and  that  unless  he  was  care- 
ful, he  should  be  denounced  to  the  Cardinal-Legate 
and  immured  in  a  dungeon.     The  unfortunate  pa- 


LITERARY  EULOGISTS.  12? 

trolraan  in  vain  tried  to  quiet  Guido,  and  offered 
his  services  to  aid  him,  but  without  result. 

He  abhorred  the  hyperbolical  eulogies  common 
among  the  Italian  writers  of  his  day,  and  frequently 
implored  that  they  would  abstain  from  the  compo- 
sitions of  this  kind  with  which  they  threatened  him. 
When  Possenti  published  his  beautiful  idyl,  in 
twenty-seven  stanzas,  on  the  master's  picture  of 
'The  Abduction  of  Helen,'  he  adopted  the  pseu- 
donyme  of  Incognito,  in  order  to  escape  Guido's 
censure ;  and  when  Senator  Gessi,  the  noble  author 
of  "The  Sword  of  Honor,"  wrote  an  ode  to  the 
same  picture,  he  also  signed  it  with  an  assumed 
name.  Two  of  the  poets  defended  even  his  scorn 
of  literary  eulogists,  the  one  in  a  madrigal  entitled 
"  That  Guido  Reni  receives  greater  glory  from  his 
colors  than  others  do  from  their  ink,"  and  the  other 
in  the  sonnet  "  That  Guido  Reni  is  greater  than  all 
the  poets  in  his  representations." 

In  1632  one  of  the  literary  academies  (the  Con- 
fuso)  pubUshed  a  book,  dedicated  to  the  Abbot 
Sampieri,  and  bearing  the  illuminated  title,  "  Praises 
to  Signore  Guido  Reni."  The  master  bought  up 
the  entire  edition,  and  had  a  new  title-page  printed 
and  inserted,  in  place  of  that  which  offended  him, 


128  GUI  DO. 

and  reading  thus,  "  Praises  to  Certain  Pictures  of 
Signore  Guido  Reni."  He  then  carried  them  back 
to  the  bookseller,  and  said,  "  Praises  are  due  to 
God,  not  to  men ;  yet  they  may  perhaps  be  accom- 
modated to  my  pictures,  in  so  far  as  they  may  justly 
represent  the  Sanctifier,  in  the  forms  of  His  saints." 
The  literati  of  his  time  gave  Guido  the  most 
illustrious  praises,  and  on  the  wings  of  their  pens, 
as  on  those  of  his  pencils,  his  fame  won  a  double 
flight  towards  eternity.  In  the  preface  to  his  his- 
torical work,  the  Marquis  Malvezzi  gave  him  the 
first  rank  among  living  artists.  The  Abbot  Sgualdi, 
in  his  "Cato  of  Utica,"  likened  him  to  Apelles; 
and  Bombaci  likewise  entitled  him  "  the  Bolognese 
Apelles."  Minozzi  wrote  :  "I  speak  of  that  great 
worker,  and  great  master  of  the  noblest  coloring, 
of  that  modern  Apelles,  Guido ;  whose  surname 
being  common  with  that  of  the  River  Reno,  yet 
runs  more  steadily  than  any  river  to  the  sea  of 
glory.  I  speak  of  Guido,  of  that  great  Guido,  who 
in  our  days  is  the  Plato  of  the  silent  poets,  the 
Virgil  of  designers,  and  the  Aristotle  of  painters." 
Such  language,  in  high-flown  prose  and  magnilo- 
quent sonnets,  comparing  Guido  with  Raphael, 
with  Titian,  with   Rubens,  MaJvasia  quotes   from 


GENEROSITY.  1 29 

scores  of  Italian  authors,  perhaps  the  Macaulays 
and  Swinbumes  and  Emersons  of  their  age  and 
country,  but  now  only  unfamiliar  names,  with  the 
sweet  melody  of  their  Italian  syllajjles  dis"f^i"='"pd 
from  all  associations. 

Outside  of  certain  traits  of  superstition  and  sus 
picion,  Guido  was  one  of  the  most  affable,  courte- 
ous, and  tractable  men  who  ever  hved,  being  with- 
out rancor  or  mahgnity,  haughtiness  or  self-interest. 
His  rooms  were  always  open,  to  all  visitors,  and  no 
one  was  ever  sent  away,  except  upon  good  occa- 
sion. When  the  modest  Sirani  induced  Marco  to 
ask  the  master  for  some  of  his  designs :  "  What 
nonsense  ! "  cried  Guido.  "  Can  he  not  take  as 
many  as  he  wishes  ?  Doesn't  he  see  what  account 
is  made  of  them?  Are  they  kept  locked  up?" 
No  one  ever  came  to  Guido  in  vain,  when  they 
wanted  counsel  and  help  in  art ;  for  he  would  have 
his  turquoise-colored  paper  (on  which  he  generally 
designed)  brought,  with  charcoal  and  chalk,  and 
would  then  sketch  out  the  desired  thought  in  several 
shapes.  When  he  went  to  Rome  the  first  time  he 
gave  a  great  number  of  these  sketches  to  Tambu- 
rini,  an  honest  man  and  his  good  friend,  who  gained 
a  large  amount  of  money  by  selling  them  off  from 
time  to  time. 


I30  GUIDO. 

Guido  made  many  beautiful  cartoons  for  fresco- 
painters  to  use  in  their  compositions,  drawing 
them  for  pastime  on  his  own  part,  but  with  great 
profit  to  tliose  who  used  them.  Among  these 
were  the  Pallas,  which  Tamburini  painted  in  the 
palace  of  Count  Orsi ;  '  The  Annunciation,'  on  the 
ceiling  of  the  church  at  Monte  della  Guardia; 
'The  Virgin  and  Child,'  painted  by  Dentone,  in 
a  country-house;  and  the  cherubs,  with  which 
Colonna  decorated  the  Public  Palace,  at  Cardinal 
Spada's  order.  Cavazza,  Campana,  and  other 
fresco-painters,  always  depended  on  him  for  their 
best  designs,  and  never  applied  in  vam. 

Guido  presented  his  pictures  freely  to  such  men 
as  were  congenial  to  him,  and  captivated  him  by 
■^  their  disinterested  love.     Among  these  were  Sena- 

tor Guidotti;  Barbieri,  whose  sons  were  his  god- 
children ;  and  the  Marquis  Facchenetti,  to  whom 
he  gave  the  famous  '  Battle  of  the  Cupids  and  Bac- 
carini.'  An  'Ecce  Homo'  was  sent  to  the  mer- 
chant Gnicchi,  who  had  tenderly  succored  him 
when  in  distress  for  losses  at  gambhng;  and  a 
Madonna  to  Dr.  Gallerati,  who  had  healed  a  wound 
on  the  artist's  head,  caused  by  a  stone  falling 
thereon  from  a  ivindow. 


GENEROSITY.  131 

He  executed  a  fine  fresco  of  cherubs  in  the 
Servites'  Chapel,  for  a  certain  gentleman,  who, 
when  Guido  had  highly  praised  his  wine,  sent  him 
all  that  he  had  of  that  vintage,  as  a  present, 
together  with  the  cask.  Other  pictures,  all  by  his 
o\vn  hand,  he  gave  to  the  Capuchin  monks ;  to 
Brizio,  who  brought  him  the  letter  of  thanks  from 
the  King  of  Poland ;  and  to  those  for  whose  chil- 
dren he  stood  godfather,  the  same  pictures  being 
sold  for  enough  in  later  years  to  give  handsome 
dowries  to  his  godchildren.  He  never  refused  to 
hold  up  children  at  baptism,  although  they  were 
brought  to  him  by  hundreds,  on  account  of  the 
presents  which  he  made  them. 

Not  only  his  pictures,  but  also  money,  was  lav- 
ished freely  by  Guido,  on  the  objects  of  his  charity 
and  affection  ;  and  many  a  needy  family,  and  many 
a  poor  girl  in  peril,  had  cause  to  gratefully  remem- 
ber his  generosity.  In  a  single  year,  he  bestowed 
over  a  thousand  cro\vns  in  charity,  freely  poured 
out  on  ^very  side.  Malvasia  gives  a  list  of  a  great 
number  of  men,  both  in  Rome  and  Bologna,  to 
whom  he  loaned  sums  of  a  hundred  crowns  and 
upward,  out  of  pure  esteem  and  affection. 


13*  GUIDO. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Last    labors. —  'The    Cnicifixion.'  —  ' Ariadne.'  — Pathetic    Ill< 
ness.  —  The  Death  of  Guido. 

During  the  last  decade  of  his  hfe,  troubled 
though  he  was  in  many  ways,  Guido  executed 
several  resplendent  works.  Among  these  was  the 
great  votive  banner  of  white  silk,  called  //  Pallione 
del  Voto,  on  which  he  painted  the  Madonna  in 
glory,  and  the  four  patron-saints  of  Bologna.  This 
banner  was  ordered  by  the  Senate,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  deliverance  of  the  city  from  the  plague, 
in  1630;  and  was  borne  in  the  annual  processions 
which  celebrated  that  event.  It  is  now  carefully 
preserved  in  the  picture-gallery  of  Bologna.  Still 
another  production  of  the  same  grade  was  the  '  St. 
Job,'  executed  for  the  guild  of  silk-merchants,  and 
placed  in  1633  in  the  Mendicanti  Church,  whence 
it  was  removed  by  the  French  during  Napoleon's 
invasion  of  Italy,  and  has  never  been  returned 
from  France. 


'THE  crucifixion:  133 

Guido  had  a  particular  affection  for  the  Capu- 
chins of  Bologna,  and  executed  for  them  the  cele- 
brated picture  of  'The  Crucifixion,'  now  in  the 
BologncoC  Pinacoteca.  Malvasia  says  :  "  It  would 
not  be  believed  that  designing,  however  profound 
and  studied,  or  coloring,  however  mellow  and 
fleshy,  could  thus  have  represented  and  expressed 
a  torso,  the  most  natural  and  delicate.  The  head 
of  the  agonizing  Redeemer,  which  is  turned 
towards  Heaven,  as  He  breathes  out  His  last 
words,  gives  us  to  know  the  Incarnate  Divinity  in 
that  great  act ;  and  the  grief  of  the  afflicted  Virgin 
and  of  the  beloved  disciple,  who  grow  more  beau- 
tiful, rather  than  uncomely,  in  their  grief,  and  the 
affection  of  Mary  Magdalen,  would  arouse  pity  and 
compassion  even  in  the  breast  of  a  tiger."  Hillard 
places  this  above  all  other  pictures  of  the  cruci- 
fixion, "for  dignity,  pathos,  and  truth,  and  for 
intense  and  overpowering  reality." 

The  magnificent  '  Crucifixion,'  now  in  St.  Lorenzo 
in  Lucina,  at  Rome,  was  bequeathed  to  that  church 
by  the  Marquis  Angellili.  This  is  the  picture  which 
Mrs.  Browning  calls 

"  The  piece 
Of  Master  Guido  Reni,  Clirist  on  Cross, 
Second  to  nought  observable  in  Rome." 


134  GUIDO. 

The  little  city  of  Reggio,  between  Modena  and 
Parma,  was  enriched  by  two  pictures  from  the  mas- 
ter's hand.  One  of  these  was  'The  Crucifixion,' 
painted  in  1639,  and  placed  in  the  Church  of  San 
Stefano ;  the  other  represented  Sts.  Crispin  and 
Crispiano,  and  was  given  to  the  Church  of  San 
Prospero,  by  the  guild  of  shoemakers.  This  is  the 
same  which  is  now  in  the  Dresden  Gallery,  with 
Crispin  presenting  his  brother  Crispianus  to  the 
Madonna,  while  angels  scatter  flowers  on  the  group. 

Guido  had  numerous  commissions  from  the 
ultramontane  sovereigns,  as  well  as  from  those  of 
Italy,  and  received  from  them  letters  expressing 
their  pleasure  at  his  works.  Among  these  was  the 
'Venus,'  painted  for  the  Duke  of  Bavaria-  the 
*  Europa,'  for  the  King  of  Poland ;  and  a  Madonna 
for  the  King  of  Spain.  Another  was  'The  An- 
nunciation,' which  the  King  of  France  gave  to  the 
Carmelite  Church  at  Paris,  whence  it  ultimately 
passed  to  Hampton-Court  Palace. 

One  of  the  last  of  Guido's  illustrious  works  was 
the  'Ariadne,'  which  was  ordered  for  the  Queen  of 
England,  and  supervised  by  the  Cardinal- Legate 
Sacchetti.  The  picture  was  begim  in  Sacchetti's 
palace,  who  courteously  held  the  artist  to  his  work, 


'ariadne:  135 

and  urged  him  to  hasten  its  execution,  even  when 
he  felt  no  inspiration  to  paint.  The  chief  figure  in 
the  picture  was  Ariadne,  grieving  over  the  departure 
of  Theseus,  and  at  the  same  time  rejoicing  at  the 
arrival  of  Bacchus,  and  these  conflicting  emotions 
are  portrayed  with  rare  skill  and  concordance: 
Eighteen  other  figures  were  added,  to  fill  up  the 
great  canvas ;  among  which  the  most  beautiful 
were  the  groups  of  Cupids,  some  of  whom  are 
suspending  in  the  sky  the  marriage-crown  of  stars. 
The  equal  coupUng  and  similar  attitudes  of  many 
of  these  figures  gave  occasion  for  Bernini  to  call 
this  composition  the  processional  picture ;  yet  it 
met  with  great  applause  among  the  literati  of 
Bologna.  The  Roman  Court  was  not  less  enthusi- 
astic, and  Pope  Urban  VIII.  had  a  magnificent 
frame  of  gilded  copper  made  for  it,  and  also  com- 
missioned Romanelli  to  paint  a  careful  copy  thereof, 
„_}'ing  that  Italy  should  not  be  deprived  of  such  a 
rare  treasure.  The  picture  was  sent  to  England, 
and  met  with  an  unhappy  fate,  for  during  th'^  revo- 
lutionary period  which  ensued  in  Cromwell's  sub- 
version of  the  throne,  it  was  acquired  from  the 
Queen  by  a  certain  Mr.  Emery,  after  whose  death 
his  scrupulous  Puritan  widow  hastened  to  destroy 


136  GUIDO. 

what  she  considered  as  a  pagan  and  immoral  pic- 
ture. At  her  command  the  servants  fell  upon  the 
great  and  glowing  canvas  with  swords  and  spears, 
and  having  cut  it  into  small  bits,  threw  these  into 
the  fire. 

Guido  was  summoned  to  France  to  paint  a  por- 
trait of  the  King,  for  which  he  was  offered  1,000 
pistoles,  and  1,000  more  for  the  expenses  of  his 
journey.  He  dechned  this  invitation,  simply  say- 
ing, "I  am  not  a  portrait-painter."  The  master's 
statement  was  literally  inexact,  and  probably  re- 
ferred to  the  general  tendency  of  his  labors,  rather 
than  to  an  absolute  unfamiliarity  with  portrait-paint- 
ing, for  he  certainly  executed  many  portraits,  in- 
cluding those  of  his  mother  and  brother.  Popes 
Clement  and  Paul,  and  Cardinals  Borghese,  Sfon- 
drati,  Spadi,  Sacchetti  and  Sanesio. 

One  day  Guido  left  a  large  coffer  in  the  Hos- 
pital della  Morte,  and  it  was  found  to  be  filled  with 
letters  from  princes,  some  of  them  thanking  him 
for  pictures,  others  sending  commissioners,  and  still 
others  inviting  him  to  their  courts.  When  Sirani 
brought  this  box  to  the  master,  he  cried  out,  "  For 
the  love  of  God,  take  it  away ;  for  it  is  too  great  a 
vanity  to  make  so  much  account  of  *uch  things." 


DECLINING.  137 

He  had  it  cast  aside,  and,  never  having  sought  it 
again,  the  letters  were  dispersed. 

In  the  summer  of  1642,  Guido  wrote  to  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  profusely  thanking  him 
for  a  present  sent  on  the  receipt  of  one  of  his  pic- 
tures. This  letter  is  still  preserved  in  the  archives 
of  the  Ufifizi  Palace,  at  Florence. 

Ferrante  Trotto  urged  Guido  to  finish  'The 
Resurrection  of  Christ,'  which  had  been  begim  by 
Carlo  Bononi,  "the  Caracci  of  Ferrara;"  and  in 
answer  he  said  that  it  would  be  temerity  for  him 
to  assume  such  a  task,  in  a  manner  so  different  from 
his  own  ;  and  added  :  "  I  have  commenced  to  de- 
cline many  commissions  which  are  offered  to  me, 
because  my  vigor  is  departing,  —  it  may  be  because 
of  the  fatigue  caused  by  so  many  labors,  or  because 
of  my  frequent  journeys,  or  because  old  age  is 
pressing  upon  me.  It  is  often  said,  by  the  invid- 
ious, that  I  shall  do  much,  and  even  too  much,  if  I 
**omplete  the  works  which  I  liav^e  already  begun. 
So  that  you  see  that  both  your  own  and  my  honor 
forbids  that  I  shall  serve  you  in  this  matter ;  whence 
it  is  better  that  you  should  not  devolve  it  upon  me, 
rather  than  to  have  the  matter  fail,  which  might 
easily  happen,  and  chiefly  because  I  do  not  beheve 
that  I  shall  outhve  this  present  year." 


138  GUIDO. 

Somewhat  later  he  Avrote  thus  to  a  friend  :  "  I 
have  already  arrived  at  an  age  which  is  enough, 
and  I  swear  to  you  that  to  buy  a  year  more  I  would 
not  spend  an  hour  of  the  term  which  has  been 
allotted  to  me.  No  one  can  fly  from  death,  and  I 
find  myself  already  so  disposed  that  I  have  no  fear 
of  its  summons." 

It  so  happened,  a  few  days  later,  that  certain 
Bolognese  priests  ascended  to  his  rooms,  to  show 
his  works  to  a  company  of  ecclesiastics  who  were 
on  the  way  to  the  Holy  House  of  Loreto.  Being 
asked  by  the  venerable  artist,  if  they  were  all 
priests,  one  of  them  heedlessly  repUed,  "  Yes,  sign- 
ore,  we  are  all  such,  and  so  great  that  we  can  bury 
a  dead  man."  The  artist  cried  out  angrily,  "What 
a  pretty  conceit,  and  how  like  your  kind  !  Know, 
indeed,  that  I  hope  to  live  to  myself  bury  moLt  of 
you  others."  But  when  the  priests  departed,  Guido 
was  dejected,  and  said,  "  They  are  right ;  I  have 
no  more  time  to  abide  in  this  world."  Again,  when 
a  knight  whom  Senator  Guidotti  had  brought  to 
the  studio,  urged  him  to  hasten  on  a  half-figure 
which  he  had  just  ordered,  he  answered,  "  Yes,  yes ; 
your  Lordship  means  to  say  that  I  have  but  a  short 
time  to  five.     But  we  will  arrange  thus.      I  wiU 


INQUISITIVE    WORKS.  139 

reflect  for  a  year  to  come  as  to  whether  I  can  serve 
you ;  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  will  resolve 
about  it,  if  I  am  alive." 

Guide's  last  picture  was  a  representation  of  'The 
Nativity  of  Our  Lord/  on  which  he  was  engaged  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  It  was  painted  for  the  Car- 
thusian Convent  at  Naples,  and  is  still  preserved 
there,  in  the  secularized  Church  of  San  Martino. 
Certain  inquisitive  Capuchins  were  once  looking  at 
this  picture  of  the  Nativity,  and  asked  him  if  he 
should  receive  for  it  a  thousand  pieces  of  eight,  sup- 
posing that  they  had  said  a  great  thing ;  and  when 
he  told  them  that  he  should  receive  three  thousand 
croNvns  and  a  present  from  the  Prince,  they  were 
filled  with  wonder.  He  thereupon  dryly  remarked, 
"  It  is  easy  to  see,  good  fathers,  that  you  understand 
nothing  but  poverty."  The  same  prying  monks 
demanded  who  was  the  greater,  himself  or  Guer- 
cino  ?  "I  am  the  greater,"  he  suddenly  and  warmly 
rejoined,  "and  I  could  give  you  the  reasons,  ac- 
cording to  the  rules  of  art,  but  you  could  not  com- 
prehend them.  Moreover,  these  three  most  easy 
statements  will  suffice  :  firstly,  that  my  pictures  sell 
for  more  than  his  do,  and  I  have  also  taught  him 
how  to  make  himself  well  paid ;  secondly,  because 


I40  GUIDO. 

he  fishes  up  my  ideas,  and  seeks  my  manner,  though 
I  have  never  followed  him  and  have  always  avoided 
his  style ;  and  finally,  because  all  the  others  hold  to 
my  manner,  and  none  to  his."  When  the  monks 
had  gone,  Guido  said,  "  I  have  spoken  proudly, 
and  said  too  much  ;  but  a  ridiculous  question  calls 
forth  an  impertinent  answer." 

Malvasia  thus  prepares  for  the  closing  scene  : — 
"  But  it  is  at  length  full  time  to  let  my  Guido  go 
out  from  such  miseries.  It  is  time,  I  say,  that  pass- 
ing to  the  common  fatherland  in  the  heavens,  he 
may  comprehend  that  true  repose,  that  for  him,  as 
for  every  other  traveller  and  pilgrim,  it  is  foolish  to 
hope  for  here  below.  There  let  him  enjoy  the  re- 
ward due  to  his  worth,  his  piety,  and  his  innocent 
manners.  There  let  him  recognize  in  the  Beatific 
Vision  from  what  fountains  of  exhaustless  light  that 
little  ray  came  that  was  infused  from  above  into  his 
pure  mind,  and  thence,  being  imparted  to  us  by 
imparadising  his  canvases,  made  our  souls  contrite 
and  blessed." 

Guido  at  last  fell  sick,  on  the  6th  of  August, 
while  the  sun  was  in  Leo.  When  he  was  unable  to 
withstand  longer  the  assaults  of  an  insidious  fever, 
he  threw  himself  upon  his  bed,  and  seeing  that 


MORIBUND.  141 

he  could  not  forbid  the  attendance  of  a  doctor, 
he  selected  Cesi,  the  son  of  the  artist  of  that  name, 
the  rather  that  he  esteemed  him  as  a  good  man 
than  that  he  had  skill  in  his  profession.  Cesi 
ordered  a  clyster  to  be  apphed,  and  when  that 
proved  beneficial,  he  gave  the  patient  a  cooling 
beverage,  which  refreshed  his  parched  throat  and 
burning  inner  parts.  But  the  malady  still  advanced, 
and  Cesi  desired  to  call  in  other  counsel,  urging 
that  the  sick  man  was  not  an  ordinary  person,  to 
have  life  hazarded  on  one  attendant's  opinion,  and 
furthermore  that  he  owed  him  personally  a  more 
than  ordinary  care.  He  therefore  called  in  Doctor 
Ambrogisini,  who  declared  that  it  was  necessary  to 
bleed  the  patient ;  but  Guido  opposed  this  measure 
and  resisted  it,  until  the  physicians  declared  at  last 
that  it  was  his  only  hope.  Many  knights  and 
nobles  called  upon  him,  to  console  and  inspirit  him, 
and  among  these  were  the  Senator  Guidotti  and 
the  brother  of  Cardinal  Sacchetti,  who  finally  in- 
duced him  to  allow  five  celebrated  doctors  to 
examine  the  case.  Guidotti  and  Sacchetti  also 
persuaded  him  to  be  removed  from  his  chambers, 
where  he  was  annoyed  by  the  noises  of  the  Square, 
and  his  malady  was  augmented  by  the  intense  heat. 


142  GUIDO. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  in  Bologna  that  he  desired 
to  be  carried  to  other  quarters,  many  of  the  noblest 
famihes  of  the  city  vied  to  receive  him  into  theii 
houses,  where  he  could  have  that  loving  service 
and  those  tender  ministrations  of  women  which 
were  denied  to  him  in  his  own  tenement.  Cardinal 
Durazzi  endeavored  also  to  have  him  conveyed  to 
his  own  cool  and  comfortable  apartments  below  the 
Public  Palace,  and  opening  on  its  gardens.  But 
Guido  refused  all  these  offers,  and  chose  the  house 
of  the  merchant  Ferri,  whither  he  went  in  a  horse 
litter,  conducted  by  his  own  liveried  servants,  and 
attended  by  one  of  his  assistants.  When  he  had 
arrived  there,  he  suddenly  commanded  that  the 
chamber,  which  had  been  luxuriously  arranged  for 
him,  should  be  stripped  of  all  its  furniture,  save  a 
little  table,  a  chair,  and  a  bed,  and  that  the  hang- 
ings of  gilded  leather  should  be  removed.  A 
picture,  by  his  own  hand,  of  the  Infant  Christ  and 
St.  John,  had  with  deUcate  tact  been  hung  over  his 
bed,  but  this  also  he  ordered  to  be  removed,  saying 
that  he  did  not  so  eagerly  desire  to  worship  images 
of  his  own  creation  only.  He  asked  that  a  cruci- 
fix of  wood  should  be  suspended  in  its  place,  and 
this  was  speedily  done.     Here  he  was  served  and 


1 


MELODIES  OF  PARADISE.  143 

attended  as  a  great  prince,  and  always  watched 
over  by  Ferri,  who  also  absolutely  refused  to  admjt 
of  the  pawning  of  two  chains  of  gold,  which  the 
master  had  intrusted  to  Marco  for  that  purpose. 
Nevertheless,  poor  Guido  attempted  to  sally  forth 
and  take  refuge  at  the  house  of  his  friend  Bortolo, 
nor  would  he  be  deterred  by  the  suggestion  that 
that  house  was  situated  in  a  noisy  part  of  the  city, 
where  wagons  and  passengers  were  continually 
going  by.  "  That,  indeed,  is  what  I  most  desire," 
he  said,  "  because  I  have  always  been  used  to  hear 
the  tumults  and  revelries  on  the  great  Square,  upon 
which  the  balconies  of  my  home  looked  down ; 
and  the  quietness  of  this  rural  street  causes  me 
such  melancholy,  that  for  that  cause  alone  I  feel 
myself  a-dying."  But  he  was  retained  at  Ferri's 
house ;  and  to  solace  his  weary  hours,  various  con- 
certs of  musical  bands  were  ordered,  and  the  per- 
formers, passing  up  and  down  the  street,  filled  it 
with  a  great  and  continuous  harmony.  This  device 
was  so  delicious  in  its  effect,  that  players  were  also 
introduced  into  tlie  hall  near  his  chamber,  and 
when  they  were  playing  their  beautiful  airs,  Guido 
was  seen  to  wipe  away  the  tears  that  had  fallen  on 
his  cheeks,  while  he  cried  out,  "  And  what  then  will 
be  the  melodies  of  Paradise?  " 


144  GUIDO. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Sacrament  was  exposed  .n 
various  churches,  and  many  rehgious  orders  were 
supplicating  in  his  behalf.  Not  only  in  Bologna, 
but  also  in  the  surrounding  cities,  and  most  of 
all  in  Rome,  prayers  and  vows  were  ascending  for 
the  recovery  of  the  greatest  living  artist  of  Italy. 
He  himself  remained  intrepid  and  courageous,  and 
enjoyed  hearing  his  friends  talk  among  themselves 
over  the  news  of  the  world ;  and  being  insensible 
of  the  increase  of  his  malady,  he  warmly  denied 
that  he  was  losing  his  natural  heat,  as  the  doctors 
had  alleged.  There  was  no  one  who  would  venture 
to  recall  to  him  the  Holy  Sacraments,  though  he 
was  in  such  grave  peril ;  and  finally  Ferri,  after  a 
long  discourse,  disposed  him  to  have  recourse  to 
divine  assistance.  He  induced  him  to  summon, 
on  his  own  account,  the  confessor,  by  whose  aid, 
on  the  eve  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
he  refreshed  himself  with  the  Bread  of  Angels,  and 
united  himself  entirely  to  his  God.  He  then 
sought  pardon  from  Ferri  for  the  inconvenience 
which  he  had  caused  by  his  malady ;  from  all  the 
gentlemen  then  present,  for  evil  words  and  expres- 
sions which  he  had  sometimes  used ;  from  Marco, 
for  his  occasional  hard  treatment,  and   the   same 


EXTREME    UNCTION.  1 45 

from  his  other  pupils.  He  called  to  him  Sirani,  his 
favorite  disciple,  and  tenderly  clasped  him  to  his 
breast,  exalting  him  above  his  comrades,  and  bid- 
ding him  to  continue  in  the  noble  way  in  which  he 
had  begun.  This  pathetic  scene  drew  tears  of 
affection  and  grief  from  all  eyes. 

He  was  exhorted  by  his  confessor  to  make  a 
will  and  arrange  his  property,  and  for  that  cause 
demanded  that  the  Senator  Guidotti  should  be 
brought  to  him,  that  to  his  tried  faith  he  might 
confide  his  last  testament,  which  was,  in  substance, 
that  his  nearest  surviving  kinsman  should  inherit 
the  property.  When  Guidotti  arrived,  the  mori- 
bund artist  could  no  longer  speak,  and  while  the 
Senator  questioned  him  about  various  dispositions 
of  affairs,  he  neither  responded  nor  made  any  sign  ; 
but  when  he  was  asked,  directly  and  simply,  if  he 
wished  that  his  nearest  relative  should  be  the  heir, 
after  bowing  his  head  twice,  he  distinctly  said, 
"  Yes." 

"At  last,  strengthened  by  the  Sacrament  of 
extreme  unction,  drawing  to  his  breast  and  lovingly 
kissing  the  crucifix,  after  an  agony  of  two  entire 
days  courageously  endured,  in  the  arms  of  the 
Capuchin   fathers,  whom  he  always  held  in  such 


146  GUIDO. 

great  veneration,  he  breathed  out  his  blessed  soul, 
at  two  hours  of  the  night,  on  Monday,  August  1 8th, 
1642,  which  was  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age." 

Albano,  who  had  been  for  so  many  years  the 
bitterest  rival  of  the  master,  heard  the  news  with 
great  grief,  and,  turning  to  his  disciples  in  the 
studio,  said  :  "  The  world  will  never  see  another 
Guido." 

His  body,  robed  in  a  Capuchin  dress,  was  carried 
to  the  sepulchre  with  the  greatest  pomp  and  honor. 
So  vast  was  the  crowd  of  all  ranks  and  ages,  and 
the  concourse  to  see  him,  both  in  the  streets 
through  which  he  was  borne,  and  in  the  Church  of 
San  Domenico,  where  he  was  laid  in  state,  that  the 
like  had  not  been  seen  before,  even  in  the  great 
processions  wherein  the  city  annually  celebrated  its 
deliverance  from  the  plague.  On  all  sides  were 
heard  the  grievings  of  the  knights,  the  moans  of 
the  citizens,  and  the  weeping  of  the  artisans,  so 
many  of  whom,  imploring  the  blessing  of  Heaven, 
remembered  the  benefits  received  from  Guido,  — 
some,  of  their  children  borne  by  him  to  the  holy 
font ;  some,  of  daughters  delivered  from  peril  and 
endowed  by  him ;  some,  of  gener6us  pecuniary 
Aids  extended  to  them  when  in  great  need;  and 


ENTOMBMENT.  147 

some,  of  pictures  and  designs  bestowed  as  gifts  by 
him.  Senator  Guidotti  then  had  the  dead  artist 
buried  in  the  hereditary  chapel  of  the  Guidotti,  so 
that  at  the  last  he  could  be  united  in  death  with 
that  great  man,  for  whom,  while  living,  he  had  ever 
maintained  a  noble  and  loyal  friendship. 


During  the  last  months  of  his  life,  when  his 
friends  bantered  him  on  his  insatiableness  in  labor, 
he  said  :  "  I  am  forced  to  more  than  I  know  or  am 
able,  if  that  is  possible,  having  been  rewarded  more 
richly  than  any  painter  of  the  past  ages."  Al- 
though he  declined  new  commissions  for  three 
years  before  his  death,  in  the  hope  of  finishing  the 
multitude  of  works  which  were  already  begun,  many 
unfinished  pictures  were  left  in  the  studio  when  he 
died.  Among  these  was  the  '  St.  Bruno,'  which  the 
Carthusians  gave  to  Sirani  in  exchange  for  another 
painting,  whereupon  he  completed  the  work  suc- 
cessfully. Another  immense  canvas  contained  the 
beginnings  of  a  picture  of  the  fable  of  Latona, 
which  the  King  of  Spain  had  ordered,  having  heard, 
much  to  his  grief,  how  great  a  picture  he  had  lost 
in  '  The  Abduction  of  Helen.' 


148  GUIDO. 

There  were  also  two  groups  of  ladies,  smaller 
than  life,  employing  themselves  in  various  labors, 
sewing  and  spinning,  and  perhaps  representing  Lu- 
cretia  or  Artemisia,  and  their  children,  yet  some- 
what vague  in  meaning,  and  perhaps  marking  an 
attempt  at  Albano's  manner.  One  of  these  is  still 
preserved,  in  the  sacristy  of  the  Basilica  at  Loreto. 
Others  were  the  '  Liberality '  and  the  '  Modesty,' 
for  Alexander  Sacchetti,  which  were  admirably  fin- 
ished by  Sirani ;  '  The  Birth  of  Christ,'  now  in  San 
Martino,  at  Naples ;  the  great  picture  which  Dr. 
Zamboni  bought,  and,  having  cut  out  the  lovely 
head  of  St.  Veronica,  sold  it  for  double  the  price 
of  the  whole  work;  and  a  'St.  Jerome,'  which  was 
respectfully  completed  by  Barbieri.  There  were 
numerous  outlined  canvases  and  a  crowd  of  valua- 
ble sketches  and  designs,  with  quantities  of  fine 
lake-colors  and  ultramarine.  A  careful  inventory 
of  all  the  contents  of  the  studio  was  made,  on  be- 
half of  the  coming  heir. 

Guido  Signorini,  a  mediocre  painter  at  Rome, 
was  the  cousin  and  nearest  of.,  kin  to  the  great 
master,  and  succeeded  to  his  goods  and  chattels. 
Guidotti  received  the  heir  at  his  own  house,  and 
entertained  him  there  while  the  estate  was   being 


SETTLING    THE  ESTATE.  149 

settled,  giving  him  also  valuable  advice  about  its 
affairs.  Signorini  could  doubtless  have  repudiated 
'^anv  of  the  alleged  claims  agamst  the  property, 
but  preferred  to  pay  them  all,  on  statement,  in 
honor  to  his  dead  kinsman,  being  somewhat  aided 
also  by  records  in  the  hands  of  Sirani,  Marchino, 
and  Loli.  He  found  that  Guido's  custom,  during 
the  last  few  years,  had  been,  when  he  accepted  a 
commission,  to  devote  himself  intently  to  sketching 
out  the  picture  and  working  on  it  as  far  as  the 
advance-money  would  warrant,  so  that  in  case 
he  died  suddenly,  his  conscience  should  not  be 
aggrieved  for  the  restitution  thereof,  since  whoso- 
ever chose  could  take  the  work  as  left  in  compensa- 
tion for  the  earnest,  and  others  could  be  reimbursed 
after  a  public  sale  of  his  effects.  This  was  duly 
appreciated  when  the  expected  decease  left  the 
studio  filled  with  partly-finished  pictures  ;  for  nearly 
every  one  preferred  to  take  even  the  little  of  Guido 
which  he  could  than  to  have  his  money  returned. 
Other  creditors  were  quieted  in  a  similar  manner, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  merchant  Ferri,  who  had 
loaned  the  master  3,000  pistoles,  to  meet  his  losses 
at  the  gaming-table,  of  which  1,000  were  still  tin- 
paid,  and  for  the  satisfaction  of  the  debt  he  took 
thirteen  of  these  glorious  fragments. 


ISO 


GUIDO. 


Thus  honorably  and  fairly  did  Signorini  meet 
every  claim,  even  those  which  were  unjust,  and  yet 
there  remained  to  him  several  hundred  crowns  from 
the  estate.  He  also  came  into  possession  of  a 
book  containing  a  hundred  designs  drawn  by  the 
hand  of  Raphael,  which  the  master  had  purchased 
at  Rome.  The  salvers,  the  chains  of  gold,  and  tlie 
silver  candlesticks  had  been  stolen,  and  were  not 
recovered. 


A  LIST  OF  THE  CHIEF  PAINTINGS  OF 
GUIDO   RENI, 

AND  THEIR  PRESENT  LOCATIONS. 


*^*  A  few  pictures  -whose  authenticity  is  doubtful  are  indicated 
by  an  interrogation-mark. 


ITALY. 
Rome.  —  Vatican  Gallery,  —  The  Crucifixion  of  St.  Peter ; 
Madonna  and  Child.  CapitoUne  Gallery,  — i^  Redeemed 
Spirit ;  Mary  Magdalen ;  St.  Sebastian ;  Portrait  of  Guido 
Reni.  Academy  of  St.  Luke,  —  Fortuna;  Cupid;  Bacchus 
and  Ariadne.  Corsini  Palace,  —  Herodias  ;  the  Madonna ; 
The  Crucifixion  of  St.  Peter;  An  Old  Man;  Sleeping 
Cupid;  St.  John;  Addolorata;  Ecce  Homo;  Contempla- 
tion. Spada-alla-Regola  Palace,  —  The  Abduction  of  Helen ; 
Judith;  Cardinal  Bernardo  Spada.  Sciarra-Colonna  Pal- 
ace,—Ulosts  with  the  Tables  of  the  Law;  Mary  Magda- 
lene. Colonna  Palace,  — St.  Agnes;  St.  John  the  Baptist; 
St.  Francis.  Barberini  Palace,  —  St.  Urban ;  St.  Andrea 
Corsini;  Mary  Magdalen.  Doria  Palace,  —  St.  Peter; 
Judith;  Madonna.  Rospigliosi  Palace,  —  Aurora;  Andro- 
meda;  and  other  frescos.  Borghese  Palace,  —  St.  Joseph. 
C««y««a/i^a/<z^^,  — The  Annunciation;  The  Nativity;   The 


152  GUIDO. 

Assumption;  and  other  frescos.  Church  of  St.  Gregory,— 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul;  St.  Andrew  adoring  the  Cross;  and 
other  frescos.  St.  Pietro  in  Vhuiili,  —  Hope.  St.  Lorenzo 
in  Lncina,  —  The  Crucifixion.  Sta.  Maria  de''  Cappuccini,  — ■ 
St.  Michael.  ^'.S".  Trinita  de"  Pellegrini,  —  The  Trinity. 
Sta.  Cecilia  in  Trasteverc,  —  St.  Cecilia.  Sta.  Maria  Mag- 
giore,  —  The  Immaculate  Conception;  and  other  frescos. 
St.  Louis,  —  St.  Cecilia.  The  Minorites,  —  Pietk.  Chiesa 
Niiova,  —  St.  Philip  Neri;  Ecce  Homo. 

Florence.  —  Uffizi  Gallery,  —  St.  Sebastian ;  Madonna ; 
Madonna,  with  Jesus  and  St.  John ;  Portrait  of  Guido  Reni ; 
The  Cumjean  Sibyl ;  Bradamante  and  Fiordaspina  (from 
Ariosto's  "Orlando  Furioso  ").  Pitti  Palace,  —  Charity; 
Cleopatra;  St.  Peter  Weeping;  Bacchus;  Portrait  of  an 
Old  Man ;  Rebecca  at  the  Well.  Corsini  Palace,  —  Lucre- 
tia ;  Scenes  from  the  "  Orlando  Furioso."  Panciatichi 
Palace,  —  Diana;  Endymion.  Strozzi  Palace,  —  David. 
Torrigiani  Palace,  —  Lucretia. 

Bologna.  —  Saii  Domenico,  —  Transfiguration  of  St. 
Dominic.  .5"/.  Michele  in  Bosco,  —  St.  Benedict.  Mendi- 
canti  Church,  —  St.  Job.  Tanaro  Palace,  —  Mary  Nursing 
Christ.  Zampieri Palace,  —  Circe;  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul ; 
Bianchi  Palace,  —  ^neas  and  the  Harpies  (fresco).  Pi7ia- 
coteca,  —  Samson  Victorious  over  the  Philistines;  The  Cru- 
cifixion (Cristo  dei  Cappucini) ;  Madonna  della  Pieti  (II 
Pallione  del  Vote),  i6i6;  Madonna  del  Rosario,  1630;  The 
Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  1595;  The  Massacre  of  the  Inno- 
cents; St.  Sebastian;  Ecce  Homo;  Mater  Dolorosa;  The 
Writing  Carthusian,  1600;  St.  Andrea  Corsini;  St.  John 
Preaching. 


LIST  OF  PAINTINGS.  153 

Turin.  —  Pinacoteca,  —  St.  John  the  Baptist ;  Group  ^f 
Cupids ;  Renown ;  Lucretia.  Genoa.  —  St.  Ambrose,  —  The 
Assumption.  Brignole-Sale  Palace,  —  St.  Sebastian ;  Ma- 
donna. Balbi  Palace,  —  Assumption  of  Mary  Magdalen. 
Diirazzo  Palace,  —  A  Sleeping  Child.  Milan. — Brera 
Gallery,  —  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul;  St.  Jerome;  Madonna. 
CoMO.  —  Ca'thedral,  —  A  picture  in  the  Sacristy.  Padua. 
—  Eremitani  Church,  —  St.  John  the  Baptist.  Modena.  — 
Ducal  Palace,  —  Christ  on  the  Cross;  The  Purification;  St. 
Roch  in  Prison.  Ravenna.  —  Cathedral,  —  The  Falling  of 
the  Manna ;  Elijah  in  the  Desert.  Faenza.  —  Pinacoteca,  — 
Madonna  and  Saints.  Lucca.  —  Gallery  delle  Belle  Arte,  — 
The  Crucifixion.  Loreto. — The  Madonna.  Fano. — St. 
Peter's,  —  The  Annunciation.  Cathedral,  —  Christ  giving 
the  Primacy  to  St.  Peter.  Pisa.  —  Uppezinghi  Palace,  — 
Heavenly  and  Earthly  Love.  Siena.  — St.  Martino,  —  The 
Circumcision.  FoRLi.  —  St.  Girolamo,  —  Madonna  and 
Angels.  Pinacoteca,  —  Head  of  the  Madonna.  Marino.  — 
SS.  Trinith,  —  The  Trinity.  Pesaro.  —  St.  Thomas. 
PiEVE  Di  Cento.  —  The  Assumption.  Naples. — Miran- 
da Palace,  —  A  Picture.  St.  Philip  Neri,  —  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi.  St.  Martino,  —  The  Nativity.  GiRGENTl.  —  Cathe- 
dral,—  Madonna  and  Sleeping  Christ. 

SPAIN. 
Madrid.  —  Royal  Gallery,  —  The   Suicide  of    Lucretia; 
Cleopatra ;  An  Old  Man  ;  Portrait  of  a  Maiden ;  St.  Paul ; 
Magdalen ;  St.  James ;  St.  Sebastian ;  The  Madonna  de  la 
Silla ;  The  Assumption ;  The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Apollonia 
The  Dead  St.  Apollonia;  St.  Jerome;  St.  Paul. 


IS4  GUIDO. 

FRANCE. 
Paris. —  The  Lmivre,  —  Ecce  Homo;  Penitent  Magda 
ien;  Christ  giving  the  Keys  of  Heaven  to  St.  Peter;  St. 
Sebastian ;  David  with  Goliath's  Head ;  Fortuna ;  St.  Fran- 
cis ;  St.  John  the  Baptist ;  The  Abduction  of  Helen ;  Paint- 
ing and  Design;  Madonna  and  Child;  Holy  Family;  The 
Repose  in  Egypt;  Mater  Dolorosa;  Christ  and  the  Samari- 
tan Woman;  Tw^o  Madonnas;  The  Presentation  in  the 
Temple ;  Hercules  and  Achelous ;  Hercules  Killing  the 
Hydra;  The  Abduction  of  Dejanira;  The  Death  of  Her- 
cules; Christ  in  Gethsemane  ;  The  Annunciation.     RoUEN. 

—  Museum,  —  St.  Januarius.  Lyons.  —  Museum,  —  The 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin ;  the  Annunciation.  Nantes.  — 
Museum,  —  St.  John  and  the  Lamb.      Angers. — Museum, 

—  Magdalen.  Marseilles.  —  Museum,  —  The  Roman 
Charity. 

GERMANY. 
Berlin. — Museum,  —  Venus;    Fortuna;    St.   Paul   and 
St.  Anthony;  Mater  Dolorosa.     Potsdam.  —  New  Palace, 

—  Cleopatra ;  Lucretia ;  Madonna  ;  Diogenes.  Bruns- 
wick. —  Ducal  Museum,  —  Procris  and  Cephalus. 

Dresden.  —  Gallery,  —  Ninus  and  Scmiramis  ;  Venus 
and  Cupid;  Madonna  Adoring  the  Sleeping  Child  ;  Young 
Bacchus ;  Omphale  (?) ;  St.  Francis  of  Assisi ;  Ecce  Homo ; 
St.  Jerome;  Ecce  Homo;  Madonna  and  Saints;  Christ 
Crowned  with  Thorns ;  Madonna,  and  Sts.  Crispin  and 
Crispinianus. 

Leipsic.  —  Musewn,  —  Madonna ;  St.  John ;  David  with 
the  Head  of  Goliath.     Weimar.  —  Mnseufn,  —  Cartoons. 


LIST  OF  PAINTINGS.  155 

GoTHA.  —  Friedenstein  Palace,  —  Ecce  Homo ;  Boy  and 
Dove's  Nest ;  Bacchus  and  Ariadne  ;  St.  Lawrence. 

Stuttgart. — Museum  of  Art,  —  St.  Sebastian. 

Munich. —  Old  Pmakothek,  —  The  Assumption  of  the 
Virgin ;  Apollo  Flaying  Marsyas ;  St.  John  the  Evangelist , 
St.  Jerome  Reading ;  St.  Peter  Repentant ;  Ecce  Homo. 

Mayence.  —  Electoral  Palace,  —  The  Rape  of  Europa. 
Darmstadt.  —  Picture  Gallery,  —  Penitent  Magdalen. 
SCHLEISSHEIM. —  The  Ckateau,  —  Fortuna|  The  Toilet  of 
Venus. 

AUSTRIA. 

YlENTSiA.  — Belvedere  Gallery,  —  Ecce  Homo;  David; 
Magdalen ;  The  Presentation  in  the  Temple ;  Ecce  Homo ; 
The  Baptism  of  Christ;  Madonna  and  Sleeping  Christ; 
The  Four  Seasons ;  Sibyl ;  St.  Francis ;  St.  John  the  Bap- 
tist; St.  Peter;  The  Crucifixion.  Academy  of  Art,  —  Ma- 
donna Adoring  the  Sleeping  Christ.  Schonborn  Palace,  — 
Ecce  Homo  ;  Diana.  Lichtenstein  Palace,  —  Magdalen ; 
Charity;  The  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds;  The  Infant 
Jesus  Sleeping  on  the  Cross;  Magdalen;  St.  John  the 
Baptist;  St.  Jerome;  Bacchus;  Cupid;  Bacchus  and 
Ariadne;  The  Sleeping  Bacchus;  The  Crucifixion:  The 
Flight  into  Egypt;  Susannah;  Sibyl.  Czernin  Palace,-^ 
Holy  Family ;  Madonna. 

Prague.  —  Society  of  Amateurs,  —  Ecce  Homo;  Cupid. 
Nostitz  Palace,  —  St.  Francis. 

Pest. — Academy,  —  David  and  Abigail;  The  Adoration 
of  the  Shepherds;  The  Crucifixion;  Lucretia;  The  Child 
Christ  Sleeping. 


I5<5  GUIDO. 

THE  LOW  COUNTRIES. 

Brussels.  —  Public  Museum, —  The   Flight  into  Egypt 
A  Sibyl. 

Antwerp.  —  Church  of  St.    Jaques,  —  Mater    Dolorosa. 
Wuyi's  Gallery,  —  The  Virgin;  Mater  Dolorosa. 

The  Hague. — Museum,  —  The   Death  of    Abel;    The 
Discreet  Cupid. 

Amsterdam.  —  Museutn,  —  The  Penitent  Magdalen. 

RUSSIA. 
St.  Petersburg. —  The  Hermitage  Palace,  —  The  De- 
bate on  the  Immaculate  Conception ;  Mater  Gloriosa ;  St. 
Francis  Adoring  the  Child  Christ ;  The  Holy  Family ;  The 
Theological  Dispute;  The  Rape  of  Europa;  The  Sewing 
Women;  Cupid  and  Psyche ;  The  Death  of  Cleopatra;  Sts. 
Peter  and  Paul  in  Ecstasy ;  St.  Jerome ;  Paris  and  the 
Three  Goddesses ;  Adoration  of  the  IMagi ;  Adoration  of 
the  Shepherds ;  Madonna;  The  Repose  in  Egypt;  David 
and  the  Head  of  Goliath. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 
London.  —  National  Gallery,  —  The  Coronation  of  the 
Virgin ;  Magdalen ;  Susannah  and  the  Elders ;  Lot  and  his 
Daughters ;  Perseus  and  Andromeda ;  The  Toilet  of  Venus ; 
Ecce  Homo ;  St.  Jerome.  Bridgnvatcr  House,  —  The  Arch- 
angel Michael;  The  Infant  Christ  Sleeping  on  the  Cross. 
Stafford  House,  —  The  Circumcision  of  Christ;  Magdalen; 
The  Race  of  Atalantaand  Hippomenes.  Devonshire  House, 
Perseus  and  Andromeda.  Grosvcnor  Gallery,  —  The  Na- 
ti\'ity;  Fortuna;  St.  John  in  the  Wilderness;  Madonna. 


LIST  OF  PAINTINGS.  157 

MUNRO.  — Europa  and  the  Bull;  Cleopatra;  St.  Sebas- 
tian. Hope,  —  T\it  Triumph  of  Heavenly  over  Earthly 
Love.  Ashburton,  —  Yit-3.A  of  Christ.  Baring,  — "Ecct 
Homo  ;  St.  Cecilia.  Holford,  —  Madonna ;  St.  James  the 
Elder.  Phipps,  —  The  Archangel  Michael.  Neeld,  — 
Mater  Dolorosa.  Northwick,  —  Madonna  and  Sleeping 
Christ ;  St.  Matthew  and  an  Angel.  Lord  Yarborough,  — 
David ;  Salome ;  Child  Christ  Sleeping  on  the  Cross ; 
Mater  Dolorosa.  Dulwich  College,  —  St.  Sebastian ;  Euro- 
pa  (?)  and  five  doubtful  pictures.  Lord  Ward,  —  St.  Se- 
bastian; The  Death  of  Abel.  Hampton-Court  Palace, — 
Judith  and  the  Head  of  Holofernes ;  St.  Francis  (?) ;  The 
Annunciation.  KeddlestoneHall,  —  ^2.zc\M&  and  Ariadne. 
Burleigh  House,  —  Boy  and  Dove  ;  St.  Philip  Neri ;  Ma- 
donna ;  Sibyl ;  St.  Peter  ;  St.  Jerome  ;  Lucretia ;  An  Angel. 
Narford  Hall,  —  Venus  and  Cupid.  Wardour  Castle,— 
Youth's  Head.  Alnwick  Castle, — The  Crucifixion.  Dun- 
combe  Park, —  David  and  Abigail;  Charity;  Bacchus  and 
Ariadne.  Clumber  Park,  —  Artemisia.  Marbury  Hall,  — 
The  Holy  Family  ;  Midonna  and  Child  ;  The  Massacre  of 
the  Innocents.  Corsham  Court,  —  Paul  V. ;  Madonna 
The  Baptism  of  Christ  (?).  Mr.  Bardon,  —  Sketch  of  Au 
rora.  Mr.  Anderson,  —  The  Annunciation.  Lord  Norman 
ton,  —  Female  Figure.  Lord  Caledon,  —  St.  Matthew 
Lord  Wensleydale,  —  Fortuna.  Mr.  R.  P.  Nichols,  —  St 
Lucia;  Magdalen.  Lord  Overstone,  —  Madonna;  Sibyl 
Orleans  House,  —  Madonna  of  Peace.  Osterley  Park,  — 
Madonna.  Wrotham  Park,  —  Magdalen.  Witidsor  Castle, 
Cleopatra  and  the  Asp ;  Volumes  of  Drawings  ;  St.  Sebas- 


IS8  GUIDO. 

tian ;  St.  Catherine.  PansJianger,  —  The  Sibyl.  Longfora 
Castle,  —  Magdalen  ;  Europa.  Charlton  Park,  —  The  Ado- 
ration of  the  Shepherds.  Cobham  Hall,  —  Modesty  and 
Liberality ;  Salome  ;  St.  Francis ;  Magdalen.  Duke  of 
Bedford,  —  The  Virgin  Holding  Doves.     Stourhead  House, 

—  St.  Francis  ;  Holy  Family.  Kingston  Lacy,  —  Day, 
Dawn,  and  Night.  Blaise  Castle,  —  The  Assumption  ;  The 
Crucifixion  ;  Ecce  Homo ;  St.  Veronica.  Lou>thcr  Castle,  — 
St.  Francis  in  Prayer.  Temple  Newsam,  —  St.  John  the 
Baptist ;  St.  Margaret  and  the  Dragon.     Wentworth  House, 

—  Sleeping  Cupid.  Alton  Towers,  —  Magdalen ;  A  Bishop ; 
Boy  and  Head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  Beechwood,  —  St. 
Jerome.  Gatton  Park,  —  Madonna;  A  Saint  and  the  In- 
fant Christ.  Holkham,  —  Joseph  and  Potiphar's  Wife. 
Badminton  (Duke  of  Beaufort),  —  four  pictures.  Dodding' 
ton  Park,  — Madonna  and  Child  ;  Sts.  Jerome  and  Francis; 
Elmore  Court,  —  Madonna  ;  St.  Francis  ;  Virgin  and  Child. 
Charlton  Park,  —  Ecce  Homo ;  The  Adoration  of  the 
Shepherds. 

SCOTLAND.  * 
Edinburgh.  —  Royal  Institution,  —  Ecce  Homo.      Keir 
(Stirling),  —  St.  John.     Rossie  Priory,  —  Magdalen. 

Pictures  whose  locations  are  not  known. 
America  Giving  her  Treasures  to  Neptune ;  Beauty  Re- 
pulsing Time  ;  Jupiter  Fighting  the  Titans  ;  The  Genius  of 
Painting ;  /Eneas  and  Dido ;  The  Death  of  Sophonisba ; 
The  Judgment  of  Midas  ;  Apollo  Playing  the  Violin ;  Peace 
and  Plenty ;    The  Abduction  of  Cassandra. 


INDEX. 


Abandoning  Art,  42. 

Agents,  60. 

Albano,  8,  11,  22,  29,  109,  146. 

"  Apelles  of  Bologna,"  128. 

A  rchangel  Michael,  63. 

Ariadne,  134. 

Arpino,  26,  33,  Si. 

Assumptioti,  The  (Castelfranco) , 

73" 
Assumption,  The  (Genoa),  54. 

Aurora,  27. 

Bagnacavallo,  83. 

Banner  Picture,  The,  132. 

Barberini,  Cardinal,  65. 

Barbieri,  56. 

"  Beatrice  Cenci,"  (?)  34. 

BellcoHare,  88. 

Best  Picture,  The,  120. 

Birth  of  Guido,  8. 

Bologna,  Studio  at,  105. 

Borghese,  Cardinal,  24,  26. 

Boyhood's  Trials,  9. 

Calvart,  9,  12,  44  52,  55. 
Caracci,  11,  13,  15.  i/i  50- 
Caravaggio,  14,  23. 
Cardinals  Rebuked,  62. 
Charity,  131. 
Charles  of  Tuscany,  68. 
Clement  VII.,  17. 
Coach,  106. 
Colors,  97. 

Comari,  Cardinal,  68. 
Correspondence,  109. 
Cortona,  124. 
Crackling  Fire,  112. 
Criticisms,  84. 
Crucifixion,  The,  133. 


Death  Cometh,  145. 
Death  Foreseen,  137-S. 
Defamation,  16. 
Domenichino,  24,  56,  84,  87. 
Durer,  Albert,  83. 

Etchings,  III. 
Evening  Walks,  isa. 
Eyes,  95. 

Facchenelti's  Kindness,  48 

Faith,  99. 

Favorite  Artists,  83. 

Ferrari,  65. 

Flight  from  Rome,  34. 

Food,  107. 

Forgeries,  78. 

France,  Invited  to,  47,  I3»» 

Frescos,  18. 

Funeral,  146. 

Gambling,  62,  in,  xa6. 
Garments,  107. 
Generosity,  129. 
Gessi,  58,  59. 
Glad  Improvidence,  123. 
Greek  Art,  93. 
Guerazzi  quoted,  39. 
Guercino,  44,  139. 

Hair  Painting,  81. 
Hands  and  Feet,  94. 
Handwriting,  109. 
Heir,  Guido's,  148. 
Home  Honors,  67. 

Ingrates,  87. 
Italia,  69. 

I 


i6o 


INDEX. 


Jacobs,  the  Silversmith,  75,  114. 
ubilce.  The  Papal,  7. 

Lanzi  quoted,  81. 
Last  Sickness,  140. 
Literary  Flatterers,  127,  128. 
Lying  in  State,  146. 

Manners,  79. 

Mantua,  57. 

Massacre  0/  the  Innocents,  45. 

Models,  89. 

Modesty,  13. 

Monk  Artist,  A,  82. 

Montagnola,  II,  84. 

Morning  Hours,  109. 

Mother,  Guido's,  49,  50. 

Municipal  Honors,  53. 

Music,  8,  III. 

Naples,  sg. 
Nativity,  The,  139. 
Neatness,  107. 
Niobe,  92. 

Palatial  Homes,  105. 

Pallione,  II,  132. 

Pamfili,  Cardinal,  61. 

Papal  Ire,  46. 

Paul  V.'s  Mildness,  29,  49,  62. 

Personal  Appearance,  106. 

Philosophy  in  Losses,  116. 

Pieta,  53. 

Piety  of  Guido,  98. 

Poems  of  Praise,  127. 

Policeman,  A  Worried,  136. 

Portents,  100. 

Pride,  118. 

Pride  in  Art,  30,  124. 

Pupils,  84. 

Purity,  98. 


Quirinal  Pictures,  28-33. 

Ravenna,  58,  106. 
Reni,  Daniele,  7,  10. 
Repartees,  121. 
Rest  Approaching,  140. 
Rognone,  88. 
Rome,  22. 
Rubens,  84. 

Sacchetti,  Cardinal,  70,  134. 

St.  Andrew,  24. 

St.  Benedict,  19. 

St.  Cecilia,  20,  23. 

St.  Crispin,  134. 

St.  Januarius,  58. 

St.  Job,  132. 

Samson,  74. 

Sculptures,  iii. 

Seclusion,  122. 

Sementi,  58. 

Sfondrato,  Cardinal,  21,  33. 

Silent  Guest,  The,  104. 

Silk,  96. 

Sirani,  145. 

Sleeping,  108. 

Spada,  Cardinal,  71,  72. 

Speculation,  77. 

Submission,  48. 

Superstition,  loi. 

Taine  quoted,  27. 
Transyiguration  of  St.  Dominie, 

45.  53- 
Treasurer,  The  Papal,  51. 
Trinity,  The  Holy,  53. 
Turbantina,  La,  20. 

Venetian  Invitations,  76. 

Weariness  of  Heart,  118. 
Woman-Hater,  A,  102, 


ARTIST-  BIOGRAPHIES. 


CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 


BOSTON: 
HOUGHTON,   OSGOOD    AND    COMPANY, 

©Jje  KiiJcrsiUc  Pvcss,  CamJjritise. 
iS8o. 


Copyright. 
By  HOUGHTON,   OSGOOD  &  CO. 


University  Press:  John  Wilson  &  Son, 
Cambridge 


PREFACE. 


It  is  difiBcult  to  believe  that  an  artist  so  renowned 
as  Claude  Lorraine,  whose  long  and  fruitful  life  was 
passed  in  such  an  eventful  era,  has,  up  to  the  present 
time,  found  no  biographer.  But  no  life  of  Claude 
can  be  found  in  the  great  libraries  of  Boston  and 
Cambridge  ;  nor  is  there  any  allusion  to  such  a  work 
in  the  numerous  short  sketches  relating  to  him,  and 
pubHshed  in  books  pertaining  to  art-history.  The 
best  account  now  accessible  is  the  monograph  of  M. 
Edouard  Meaume,  pubhshed  in  1 871,  in  the  eleventh 
and  supplemental  volume  of  M.  Edouard-Dumesnil's 
"  Le  Peintre-Graveur  Frangais."  Other  biographical 
sketches  are  found  in  Smith's  "  Catalogue  Raisonnd," 
vol.  viii. ;  Blanc's  "  Histoire  des  Peintres  :  Ecole  Fran- 
^aise,"  vol.  i. ;  and  Baldinucci's  "  Notizie  de'  Profes- 
sor! del  Designo,"  vol.  xiii. 

The  history  of  the  earlier  part  of  Claude's  life  is 
variously  told  by  different  writers,  some  holding  to 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

Baldinucci's  version,  and  'others  to  Sandrart's.  The 
last-named  author  was  a  friend  and  companion  of 
Claude,  from  jivhom  he  received  many  details  as  to  his 
early  life  ;  but  the  obvious  inaccuracies  in  his  work, 
not  only  as  regards  the  great  Lorraine,  but  also 
about  other  artists,  lessen  the  value  of  the  testi- 
mony. Baldinucci  was  not  a  contemporary  writer, 
but  obtained  his  information  from  Jean  Gellce  and 
the  Abbd  Joseph  Gellde,  the  grand-nephews  of  the 
artist.  The  Abbe  was  a  wealthy  ecclesiastic,  min- 
ghng  in  the  best  society  of  Rome ;  and  Meaume 
charges  him  with  a  not  unnatural  suppression  of  the 
unpleasant  facts  of  his  great-uucle's  early  life.  Baldi- 
nucci was  a  careful  and  conscientious  writer,  more 
accurate  than  Sandrart  (who  wrote  from  memory,  in 
his  old  age),  but  usually  agreeing  with  him  as  to  the 
events  of  Claude's  later  life.  Blanc,  Villot,  Dumes- 
nil,  and  other  modern  writers  have  preferred  Baldi- 
nucci's version,  though  Meaume,  the  latest  student 
of  Claude's  life,  has  found  it  profitable  to  collate  both 
accounts.  This  example  has  also  been  followed  in 
the  present  biography;  and  such  items  about  the 
great  landscape-painter  as  could  be  gleaned  from  the 
history  of  art  in  the  seventeenth  century  have  been 
added. 

M.    F.    SWEETSER. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1600-1623.  PAGB 

Oaude's  Brrthplace  in  Lorraine.  —  His  Family.  —  Journey  to  Frei- 
burg.—  Arrival  at  Rome.  —  Studies  at  Naples.  —  Agostino  Tassi. 

—  The  Contemplation  of  Nature 7 

CHAPTER  II. 
1623-1627. 
Claude's  Journey  to  Loreto,  Venice,  and  Munich.  —  His  Return  to 
Lorraine.  — Works  at  Nancy.  —  Yearning  for  Italy.  —  His  Journey 
to  Marseilles.  —  Once  more  at  Rome 29 

CHAPTER  III. 
1627-1632. 
Nicholas  Poussin.  —  Sandrart,  Claude's  Companion  and  Biographer. 

—  Claude's  Method  of   Study.  — The    Studio  at  SS.  Triniti  de' 
Monti.  —  Digression  on  American  Artists 40 

CHAPTER  IV. 

1632-1636. 
The  Gothic  Menace.  —  Urban  VIII.  —  Cardinal  Bentivoglio.  —  The 
Pope's  Pictures.  —  Claude's  Etchings.  —  The  Liber  Veritatis       .    53 

CHAPTER  V, 
1636-1652. 
Claude's  Life  not  understood.  —  His  Household.  —The  Roman  Fire- 
works.—  Cardinal  Giorio. —  Prince  Pamfili. —  The  Bouillon-Claudes. 

—  Pictures  for  the  King  of  Spain 6S 

5 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

1652-1664.  PAGE 

Salvator  Rosa  and  Poussin.  —  An  Unworthy  Assistant.  —  Pope  Alex- 
ander VII. —  The  Constable  Colonna 91 

CHAPTER  VII. 

1664-1682. 
The  Closed  Studio.  —  More  Colonna  Pictures.  —  Pope  Clement  IX. 
—  Innocent    XI.  —  Claude's    Sickness    and  Death.  —  His  Monu- 
ments        .  107 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Claude's  Private  Life.  —  His   Followers.  —  Classical  Tendencies.  — 
Life  Work.  —  Figure-Painting.  —  Ideals.  —  Verdicts  of  Critics        .  123 

LIST  OF  PAINTINGS 141 

LIST  OF  ETCHINGS 148 

INDEX 151 


CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Claude's*  Birthplace  in  Lorraine.  —  His  Family.  —  Journey  to 
Freiburg.  —  Arrival  at  Rome.  —  Studies  at  Naples.  —  Agostino 
Tassi.  —  The  Contemplation  of  Nature. 

The  great  landscape-painters  of  the  seventeenth 
century  aided  in  leading  the  standards  of  art 
beyond  the  narrow  limits  in  which  they  had  been 
held  by  the  Church  and  the.  academicians.  Into 
the  twilight  of  the  monk's  cell  and  the  prince's 
castle-hall  they  poured  the  full  glory  of  the  light 
of  the  sun,  and  introduced  the  melodies  of  singing 
birds,  lowing  kine,  rippling  waters,  and  rustling 
leaves,  making  the  life  of  Christendom  more  whole- 
some and  natural,  in  so  far  as  art  could  effect  such 
a  change.  Foremost  among  these  new  evangelists 
of  the  gospel  of  light  and  air  were  the  three  great 

7 


8  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

painters  who  dwelt   together   at   Rome,  —  Claude, 
Poussin,  and  Salvator  Rosa. 

Claude  Gellee  was  born  in  the  year  1 600,  at  the 
little  hamlet  of  Chamagne,  in  the  diocese  of  Toul 
and  the  Duchy  of  Lorraine,  not  far  from  Mirecourt 
and  only  three  miles  north  of  Charmes.  The  house 
which  was  his  birthplace  is  still  carefully  preserved, 
and  is  owned  by  a  descendant  of  one  of  his  brothers, 
bearing  the  name  of  Gellee,  It  is  a  picturesque 
old  structure,  near  the  end  of  the  street  leading  to 
the  pasturage-grounds  of  the  commune  ;  and  bears 
on  its  front  a  tablet  of  serpentine  inscribed  with 
the  words  :  •  "  Here  was  bom  in  1 600  Claude  Gel 
Ide,  called  the  Lorraine,  who  died  at  Rome,  Nov. 
25,  1682." 

Chamagne  was  the  chief  place  of  the  ancient 
seigniory  of  the  same  name,  in  the  old  Duchy  of 
Lorraine  and  the  present  Department  of  the  Vosges. 
It  stands  in  a  beautiful  situation  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  right  bank  of  the  Moselle  River,  on  the 
edge  of  the  Forest  of  Charmes.  The  present  pop- 
ulation is  about  600 ;  and  its  mayor  in  1871  was  a 
descendant  of  the  Gelle'e  family,  many  of  whose 
members  now  live  in  the  vicinity. 

No   record   remains   as   to    the    occupation    of 


A   HUMBLE  FAMILY.  g 

Claude's  parents,  Jean  Gellee  and  Anne  Pedose ; 
but  it  is  inferred  that  they  were  artisans  or  farmers 
in  very  humble  circumstances.  Of  their  large  fam- 
ily of  children,  five  were  boys, — Jean,  Dominique, 
Claude,  Denis,  and  Michel.  It  appears  that  this 
numerous  progeny  entailed  a  heavy  expense  on 
their  poor  parents ;  but  the  trials  of  life  were  met 
with  true  French  light-heartedness,  and  the  best 
efforts  were  put  forth  for  the  future  welfare  of  the 
lads.  Jean  was  apprenticed  to  a  lucrative  and  hon- 
orable profession,  wherein  he  appeared  to  advantage 
not  long  after.  He  bore  the  hereditary  name  which 
his  father  and  grandfather  had  before  him,  and  was 
doubtless  looked  to  as  the  future  mainstay  of  his 
younger  brothers  and  sisters. 

The  head  of  the  Gellee  family  was  at  least  suffi- 
ciently well-to-do  and  intelligent  to  send  all  his  boys 
to  school.  But  Claude  was  one  of  the  dullest  of  stu- 
dents, and  learned  to  read  only  after  the  most  strenu- 
ous labor.  As  the  uTiter  of  the  NobilissiiiKz  Artis 
Fictorice  wrote  of  him,  —  scientia  valde  inediocri. 
It  soon  became  evident  to  the  worthy  l?o2irgeoii 
of  Chamagne,  that  his  boy  was  too  slow-witted  to 
become  a  ccholar,  and  that  it  was  idle  to  keep  him 
longer  under  the  care  of  the  pedagogue.     Sandrart 


lO  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

said,  in  his  German  edition  of  1675,  ^^"^  Claude 
was  apprenticed  to  a  pastry-cook ;  but  in  his  Latin 
edition  of  16S3,  he  said  that  he  was  placed  with  a 
painter  i^pictori).  Beaume  suggests  gratuitously, 
that,  instead  of  pictori,  Sandrart  meant  to  have  said 
pisiori  (pastry-cook) . 

Sandrart  goes  on  to  tell  that  Claude  afterwards 
journeyed  to  Rome,  with  a  company  of  compatriots 
exercising  the  same  profession.  Now,  it  was  very 
natural  for  young  art-students  to  have  travelled  to 
Rome,  but  it  is  not  so  clear  why  a  bevy  of  pastry- 
cooks should  have  undertaken  such  a  long  and 
arduous  journey.  The  skill  which  was  adequate  to 
preparing  the  heavy  food  of  the  mountaineers  of 
the.Vosges  would  hardly  have  sufficed  to  satisfy 
the  epicurean  cardinals  of  the  papal  court,  or  their 
fastidious  fellow-townsmen. 

Nagler,  in  his  Kunsilcr-Lexikon,  adheres  mainly 
to  Sandrart's  story,  and  gives  other  details.  He 
says  that  Claude's  father  was  a  pastry-cook,  but 
could  not  teach  his  stupid  boy  to  make  a  pie  or 
heat  an  oven.  The  lad's  uncle  then  advised  that 
he  should  be  educated  for  the  priesthood,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  popular  saying,  ".  If  your  child 
is   good   for   nothing   else,   he   will   be    good    for 


THE  PASTRY-COOK  STORY.  II 

the  Church."  But  here,  also,  Claude's  ineptitude 
proved  an  insurmountable  bar,  since  it  was  almost 
impossible  even  to  teach  him  to  read.  A  little 
later  he  became  servant  to  a  Flemish  artist,  who 
took  him  to  Rome ;  and  here,  at  an  initiation-feast, 
he  acquitted  himself  admirably  as  a  cook.  Agos- 
tino  Tassi,  a  Roman  artist,  was  present,  and,  havmg 
as  much  taste  for  pastry  as  for  painting,  hastened 
to  engage  the  services  of  the  youth  to  perform 
the  offices  of  cook  and  color-grinder.  In  the 
studio  of  his  new  master,  Claude  felt  for  the  first 
time  a  yearning  for  another  and  a  loftier  vocation ; 
and  from  stupid  and  thoughtless  indolence,  and 
the  dull  humiliation  of  his  earUer  labors,  he  became 
one  of  the  noblest  aspirants  for  the  garland  of 
immortality.  Tassi  lived  to  see  his  simpleton  and 
drudge  the  first  painter  of  the  age.  Nagler  closes 
his  account  of  Claude's  early  life  with  these  words  : 
"  In  his  thirty-sixth  year,  Claude  Gelle'e  was  cook- 
ing cutlets  and  grinding  colors ;  and  ten  years 
later,  Claude  Lorraine  appears  on  the  scene,  the 
friend  of  the  elegant  Cardinal  Bentivoglio,  the  dis- 
tinguished favorite  of  Urban  VIII."  The  ingen- 
ious inaccuracy  of  the  last  sentence  is  seen  when 
Sandrart  shows  Claude  as  a  painter  of  high  repute 


12  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

in  his  thirtieth  year,  and  also  when  history  tells 
as  that  at  the  time  when  Nagler  represents  the 
artist  as  the  friend  of  Urban  VIII.  that  Pontiff 
had  been  dead  for  two  years.  The  whole  story 
thus  discredits  itself. 

But  Baldinucci  states  the  facts  of  Claude's  early 
life  in  a  far  different  manner,  and  one  which  is  fol- 
lowed in  the  succeeding  narrative.  When  the  boy 
had  reached  the  age  of  twelve,  his  parents  both 
died,  leaving  him  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
as  best  he  might.  Jean,  his  elder  brother,  had  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  German  city  of  Freiburg, 
beyond  the  Rhine,  where  he  successfully  pursued  the 
vocations  of  wood  carving  and  engraving.  After  the 
loss  of  his  parents,  Claude  set  out  for  Freiburg,  to 
seek  the  protection  of  his  prosperous  kinsman,  and 
travelled  on  foot  and  alone  across  southern  Lorraine 
and  through  the  Vosges  Mountains,  traversing  the 
fair  valley  of  the  Rhine,  and  at  last  reaching  the 
home  of  Jean  Gelle'e.  We  do  not  know  his  rea- 
sons for  this  journey,  —  whether  his  other  brothers 
were  too  poor  to  support  him,  or  his  innate  artistic 
tastes  led  him  to  prefer  an  apprenticeship  in  even 
the  lower  departments  of  art. 

For  about  a  year  the  ambitious   boy  remained 


THE  LACE-MERCHANT.  13 

at  Freiburg,  laboring  under  the  direction  of  his 
brother,  and  learning  the  elementary  principles  of 
the  profession.  Here  he  became  acquainted  with 
the  use  of  the  pencil  in  tracing  or  designing  ara  - 
besques  and  grotesques,  and  other  ornaments  of  a 
simple  character,  while  preparing  for  initiation  into 
his  brother's  business.  His  latent  genius  developed 
rapidly,  and  he  soon  showed  evidences  of  an  artis- 
tic inspiration. 

But  before  the  lad  had  mastered  his  trade,  and 
prepared  to  settle  down  as  a  wood-carver  of  the 
Black  Forest,  Jean  GelMe  was  visited  by  one  of  his 
kinsmen  from  the  west,  a  lace-merchant,  who  was 
then  on  his  way  to  Rome.  As  a  result  of  the  confer- 
ences of  these  generous  and  well-wishing  relatives, 
influenced  doubtless  by  the  contemplation  of  the 
young  apprentice's  handiwork,  it  was  resolved  that 
Claude  should  be  taken  to  the  Eternal  City,  to 
study  art  in  its  best  expression  and  under  the  most 
famous  masters.  It  may  be  that  the  lace-merchant 
had  some  knowledge  of  art,  from  his  long  travels 
and  his  frequent  intercourse  with  cultured  persons, 
such  as  those  to  whom  he  must  needs  show  his 
wares.  Possibly  he  had  been  at  Rome  before,  and 
was  familiar  with  the  stories  of  the  youths  who  had 


14  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

gone  thither  from  the  Itahan  principaUties  or  from 
France  and  Holland,  and  had  become  illustrious 
artists  and  men  of  great  estate.  Claude  was  full  of 
an  intense  longing  to  see  and  study  the  Roman 
antiques  and  the  works  of  Raphael  and  his  disci- 
ples ;  as  if  he  already  had  some  vague  presentiment 
of  his  destiny,  and  wished  to  prepare  for  it  right 
worthily. 

In  those  days  (as  even  now)  much  fine  lace  was 
made  at  Mirecourt,  near  Chamagne,  as  well  as  in 
other  parts  of  Lorraine,  and  was  carried  into  Italy 
for  sale.  A  steady  and  lucrative  commerce  had 
long  been  maintained  in  this  way  between  Rome 
and  the  Moselle  valley,  attended  with  frequent  jour- 
neys on  the  part  of  the  northern  merchants. 

So  at  last  the  gifted  and  fortunate  lad  departed 
from  Freiburg,  and  took  the  route  to  Italy,  in 
company  with  the  vender  of  laces.  Out  from  the 
.  shades  of  the  Black  Forest,  through  the^ast  Alps 
of  Switzerland,  across  the  Lombard  plains,  and 
through  the  superb  Tuscan  cities,  and  at  last  entelk 
ing  the  august  gates  of  Rome,  —  what  a  journey 
must  that  have  been  for  the  light-hearted  boy, 
already  filled  with  an  earnest  love  of  nature  and 
a  keen  perception  of  its  manifold  beauties  ! 


HARD   TIMES.  1 5 

On  arriving  at  Rome,  some  untoward  event  com- 
pelled the  lace-merchant  to  leave  the  city  abruptly  . 
and  young  Claude  was  abandoned  to  his  OAen  re- 
sources, with  but  a  narrow  supply  to  meet  his  daily 
wants.  He  secured  lodgings  in  one  of  the  narrow 
and  crowded  streets  of  the  most  populous  quarter 
of  the  city,  towards  the  Tiber,  and  near  that  great 
shrine  of  art-pilgrimage,  the  Pantheon,  in  whose 
vaults  lay  the  remains  of  Raphael  and  several  of 
his  disciples.  Far,  very  far,  from  his  kinspeople, 
friendless  in  a  strange  land,  ignorant  even  of  the 
language  of  those  about  him,  and  almost  penniless, 
—  the  situation  was  indeed  a  serious  one  for  a  lad 
of  fourteen  years. 

But  he  was  a  true  son  of  Lothaire's  Land,  and 
his  courage  never  failed.  He  devoted  every  day 
to  close  and  earnest  study,  all  unaided  by  a  master, 
and  depending  on  himself  alone.  Applying  the 
simple  rudiments  which  Jean  Gellee  had  inculcated 
to  the  contemplation  and  comparison  of  the  great 
works  of  art  in  the  Roman  churches  and  palaces, 
he  formulated  his  own  rules,  and  acquired  a  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  the  underlying  principles 
of  successful  designing.  He  also  applied  himself 
to  the  task  of  copying  some  of  the  paintings  which 


1 6  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

were  most  congenial  to  him,  and  thus  gained  many 
practical  ideas  as  to  the  use  of  colors. 

The  life  of  the  young  student  was  conducted  in 
the  simplest  manner,  and  hedged  closely  with  econ- 
omies. The  funds  for  his  support  were  sent  by  his 
kinsmen,  and  were  not  munificent,  since  their  own 
means  were  narrow.  Nay,  it  is  even  Ukely  that, 
as  Sandrart  states,  he  earned  most  of  the  money 
for  his  daily  wants,  by  performing  the  humble 
duties  of  color-grinder  and  general  drudge  in  some 
Roman  studio.  Amid  the  surroundings  of  his  me- 
nial labors,  he  could  then  be  in  constant  contact 
with  objects  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and  could  hear 
the  conversation  of  the  masters  of  his  future  pro- 
fession. He  chose  to  serve,  that  he  might  after- 
wards command  ;  and  preferred  a  temporary  humil- 
iation in  the  sacred  city  of  his  aspirations  to  an 
easy  return  to  the  life  of  a  plodding  peasant  of  the 
Moselle  valley. 

When  Claude  entered  Rome,  it  was  under  the 
rule  of  Pope  Paul  V.,  a  prince  of  that  noble  Bor- 
ghese  family  which  had  fled  from  Siena  to  avoid  the 
rule  of  the  Medici.  Paul  was  filled  with  the  most 
exalted  ideas  of- the  supreme  exaltation  of  the 
Papacy,  and  held  that  he  had  been  elected  by  the 


.    ABANDONED.  I? 

Divine  Spirit,  and  that  all  nations  and  Drinces 
should  preserve  a  profound  humility  before  him 
He  had  excommunicated  the  entire  Venetian  Gov- 
ernment, and  laid  its  territories  under  interdict ; 
and  was  even  attempting  to  fasten  Romanism  upon 
Sweden  and  Russia.  The  doctrines  of  the  Prot- 
estant Reformation  were  being  extinguished  from 
Poland  and  Bohemia  by  fire  and  sword,  and  the 
Counter-Reformation  advanced  rapidly  in  Germany 
and  France  by  the  same  dread  arguments. 

In  1618,  during  Claude's  fourth  year  of  Roman 
life,  the  terrible  Thirty  Years'  War  broke  out  beyond 
the  Alps ;  and  soon  afterwards  the  imperial  Spanish 
armies  ravaged  the  Palatinate  of  the  Rhine.  Dur-. 
ing  the  fluctuations  of  the  long  contest  between  the 
Catholic  League  and  the  Protestant  powers,  the 
kinsfolk  of  Claude  suffered  severely,  and  especially 
in  their  already  limited  property.  The  means  of 
communication  between  Italy  and  the  belHgerent 
North  were  thrown  into  confusion,  and  it  became 
well-nigh  impossible  to  forward  remittances.  Jean 
Gelle'e  was  therefore  obliged  to  announce  to  his 
brother  that  he  could  send  him  no  more  money, 
and  that  he  must  thenceforward  depend  on  himself 
alone. 


l8  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

While  Claude  was  thus  earnestly  and  diligently 
seeking  after  a  manner  of  painting  which  should 
more  nearly  satisfy  his  ideals  of  beauty,  he  came 
across  some  pictures  by  Goffreddo,  in  which  superb 
architectural  effects  were  combined  with  broad  and 
beautiful  landscapes.  His  fancy  was  straightway 
led  captive  by  these  glowing  works ;  and  he  re- 
solved to  submit  himself  to  their  author,  and  to 
follow  his  guidance  in  the  upward  way  of  art.  The 
new  master  was  then  settled  at  Naples,  the  very 
shrine  of  landscape  beauty,  whence  he  had  sent 
his  pictures  to  be  exposed  for  sale  at  the  great 
Roman  fairs. 

Once  ipore  the  indomitable  boy  faced  Fortune 
bravely,  and  set  out  for  Naples  on  foot,  friendless 
and  almost  penniless.  The  distance  was  more  than 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  through  a  dangerous 
and  unsettled  country;  but  it  was  traversed  in 
security,  and  Claude  at  last  entered  fair  Naples. 
He  was  animated  with  unfaiHng  zeal,  and  all  oppos- 
ing discouragements  gave  way  before  liim.  The 
Neapolitan  master  received  him  into  the  academy 
at  once,  favorably  moved,  perhaps,  by  the  earnest 
and  simple  story  of  the  youthful  art-pilgiim,  or  by 
his  natural  and  unaffected  praise  of  his  paintings 


LIFE  AT  NAPLES.  t^ 

Been  at  the  Roman  fairs.  The  ever-present  xirban- 
ity  and  amiability  of  Claude  stood  him  in  good 
stead  at  this  time,  and  won  for  him  the  kindly 
interest  of  his  master. 

Baldinucci  states  that  Claude's  master  at  Naples 
was  a  certain  Goffreddo  or  Godfrey ;  and  it  is  not 
easy  to  find  out  which  of  his  copyists  introduced 
the  name  of  Waal,  or  by  what  authority  this  inter- 
polation was  made.  There  was  a  Godfrey  de  Waal 
from  Flanders,  who  dwelt  in  Italy  early  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  was  somewhat  celebrated 
as  a  professor  of  design;  but  the  only  mention 
remaining  of  him  characterizes  him  as  the  teacher 
of  Antonio  Travi,  an  obscure  Genoese  painter. 
Elsewhere  he  is  called  Godfrey  of  Cologne. 

The  young  Lorraine  remained  at  Naples  for  two 
years,  diUgently  studying  perspective  and  the  art 
of  portraying  architecture,  and  learning  how  to 
blend  his  new  acquisitions  into  harmonious  concep- 
tions. It  is  not  uniilcely  that  he  was  forced  to 
support  himself  during  this  period  by  manual  hbor, 
as  aforetime,  and  to  repay  Goffreddo's  lessons  by 
keeping  his  studio  in  order. 

Naples  was  at  that  time  under  the  government 
of  the  Spanish  viceroys,  whose  rapacity  and  cruelty 


20  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

caused  universal  dissatisfaction  and  wiath.  Masa- 
niello  was  not  yet  risen  among  the  wild  rocks  of 
Amalfi,  to  summon  the  kingdom  to  its  regeneration, 
but  was  still  abiding,  a  mere  child,  arrong  the  nide 
fishermen  of  the  Salemitan  Gulf.  Salvator  Rosa 
was  also  a  child  at  this  time,  dwelling  with  the  peas- 
ants of  Renella. 

The  contemplation  of  the  peerless  beauties  of 
Nature  in  the  environs  of  Naples  had  a  profound 
effect  upon  the  mind  of  the  northern  youth,  and 
his  soul  was  enchanted  by  the  firmamejito  lucido 
of  the  old  Ausonian  land.  Here  he  studied  the 
soft  violet  lights  deepening  over  the  rugged  flanks 
of  Vesuvius,  the  mellow  and  dreamy  atmosphere 
inwrapping  the  broad  bay  from  Sorrento  to  Ischia, 
and  the  sunlight  trembling  through  the  morning 
mists  towards  Capri,  Around  the  Gulf  of  Pozzuoli 
and  along  the  Baian  shores  the  ancient  temples 
and  towers  of  the  Roman  era  still  stood,  suggesting 
such  wide  contrasts  of  art  in  desolation  and  nature 
in  luxuriance  as  Claude  often  illustrated  in  his  later 
works.  Farther  inland  were  the  peaceful  and  pop- 
ulous plains  of  the  Terra  di  Lavoro,  and  then  the 
Abruzzi  Mountains,  with  their  charming  pastoral 
scenes  amid  the  verdant  glens.     What  earnest  sou) 


AGOSTINO    TASSI.  21 

would  not  be  quickened  before  such  noble  pros- 
pects ?  The  tranquil  brilliance  of  this  "  fragment 
of  hea^'^n  to  earth  vouchsafed,"  and  the  pearly  and 
transparent  air  which  canopied  its  hills,  waves,  and 
temples,  produced  a  powerful  effect  on  the  youx>g 
student  of  art ;  and  in  many  of  his  pictures  during 
the  ensuing  half-century,  the  Bay  of  Naples  appears 
again  and  again,  forming  the  vast  and  luminous 
background  for  scenes  of  varying  but  harmonious 
meaning. 

Claude  returned  to  Rome  about  the  year  1620, 
and  entered  the  service  of  Agostino  Tassi,  with 
whom  he  was  perhaps  connected  before  the  Nea- 
pohtan  journey.  Here  also  he  continued  his  func- 
tions of  color-grinder,  valet,  and  groom,  the  while 
with  an  attentive  mind  he  slowly  prepared  to  seek 
a  loftier  flight. 

Agostino  Tassi  was  a  Perugian  by  birth,  and  had 
at  this  time  reached  the  age  of  fifty-five,  —  a  man 
of  generous  propensities  and  a  joyous  life,  albeit 
partly  overshadowed  by  the  memory  of  an  early 
crime.  He  had  dwelt  several  years  at  Genoa,  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  naval  architecture 
and  the  phenomena  of  the  sea,  in  their  artistic  pos- 
sibilities, working  with  the  Genoese  artists  Genti- 


23  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

leschi  and  Salimbene.  His  master  was  Paul  Bril, 
the  Flemish  painter,  who  had  run  away  from  home 
many  years  before,  and  settled  in  Rome,  where 
great  success  attended  him,  —  noble  ps,tronage, 
popular  fame,  and  a  large  papal  pension.  He  it  was 
who  painted  the  enomious  picture,  sixty-eight  feet 
wide,  illustrating  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Clement, 
and  adorning  one  of  the  halls  of  the  Vatican. 
Many  landscapes  issued  from  his  studio,  with 
views  of  the  Campagna  and  the  ancient  ruins  in  the 
hill-towns.  Tassi  followed  his  master's  teachings 
with  great  enthusiasm  and  intelligence,  and  painted 
a  large  number  of  landscapes,  adorned  ^vith  splen- 
did architecture  and  picturesque  ruins,  besides 
numerous  sea-views  and  harbors,  crowded  by  busy 
fleets  and  throngs  of  men  from  all  nations.  His 
work  in  these  tAvo  departments  was  precisely  that  in 
which  Claude  afterwards  attained  the  utmost  meas- 
ure of  success,  far  surpassing  both  Tassi  and  Bril. 

Some  writers  are  of  the  opinion  that  Tassi  ar- 
rived at  Rome  while  Claude  was  at  Naples,  and  the 
latter,  hearing  of  the  famous  works  of  the  new- 
comer, became  greatly  desirous  of  studying  under 
his  care.  Goffreddo  could  hardly  have  allowed  his 
lovable  disciple  to  depart  without  deep  regrets ;  and 


LIFE  AT  TASSI'S.  23 

it  is  likely  that  he  endeavored  to  make  his  fixture 
course  easy  by  giving  him  a  recommendatory  letter 
to  the  new  master. 

In  tlie  year  162 1,  when  the  cardinals  of  the  con- 
clave were  about  to  go  into  the  session  which  re- 
sulted in  the  election  of  Pope  Gregory  XV.,  Tassi 
was  commissioned  to  adorn  the  halls  in  which  they 
were  to  meet  with  landscapes,  marine  views,  and 
architectonic  ornaments.  He  was  at  this  time 
nearly  sixty  years  old,  and  doubtless  found  his  ac- 
tive young  assistant  of  much  service,  since  the  cares 
of  the  household  were  thus  removed  from  his 
mind,  and  he  was  left  free  to  carry  on  the  great 
decorative  works  without  interruption.  The  affable 
and  generous  old  master  had  already  long  knoAvn 
the  ambitious  spirit  of  his  servant,  and  at  this  time 
gave  him  lessons  in  regular  form,  at  least  in  so  far 
as  designing  and  the  use  of  colors  were  concerned. 
So  Sandrart  says,  repeating  Claude's  personal  com- 
munications to  him.  The  youth  was  then  at  the 
best  period  of  hfe  for  earnest  zj^A  intelligent  prac- 
tice, and  he  used  his  opportunities  to  the  highest  ad- 
vantage. There  is  no  doubt,  also,  that  his  hfe  in 
the  studio,  whether  as  color-grinder  or  student,  was 
rich  ir.  advantages  to  him,  and  contributed  to  move 


24  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

and  elevate  his  spirit  and  stimulate  his  ambition. 
Daily  conversations  were  carried  on  here  between 
Tassi  and  the  chief  men  of  the  city,  the  nobles  of 
Central  Italy,  and  the  princes  of  the  ecclesiastical 
state ;  and  the  humble  French  youth  was  thus  con- 
stantly in  the  presence  of  some  of  the  most  cul- 
tured minds  of  his  time.  Tassi  was  celebrated  for 
his  rare  urbanity  and  good-fellowship,  and  remained 
a  great  favorite  in  the  best  society  of  the  city.  He 
was  feasted  and  caressed  by  the  nobihty,  and  lived 
generously,  receiving  at  his  house  the  leaders  of 
Roman  society  and  culture,  and  entertaining  them 
in  a  lordly  manner.  He  was  overwhelmed  with 
commissions,  and  doubtless  devolved  some  parts 
of  their  execution  upon  his  willing  assistant.  Year 
by  year  Claude's  position  seems  to  have  improved, 
until  at  last  he  who  had  entered  the  household  as  a 
servant  dwelt  there  with  the  privileges  of  a  son. 
In  his  case  there  was  no  phenomenal  leap  to  the 
summit  of  the  hill  of  Fame,  but  a  long  and  labori- 
ous ascent,  tlirough  patlis  oftentimes  thorny  and 
steep,  through  humiliations  and  sore  privations. 
The  details  which  remain  to  us  are  vague  and  mea- 
gre ;  but  they  show  that  this  obscure  phase  of  his 
apprentice-life  was  filled  with  such  profound  shad- 


ADVANCING.  25 

ows  as  only  the  dear  and  steady  light  of  a  pure 
ambition  could  illumine. 

The  mathematical  principles  which  Claude  had 
learned  from  Goffreddo,  and  the  sensitiveness  to 
natural  beauty  awakened  in  his  soul  by  the  con- 
templation of  lovely  Southern  Italy,  were  now 
blended  and  given  means  of  expression  by  the 
efficient  teaching  of  Tassi.  With  assiduous  toil 
and  unflagging  zeal  he  had  slowly  attained  com- 
mand of  the  manner  of  his  master,  and  acquired 
the  ability  to  worthily  illuminate  his  conceptions 
on  the  glowing  canvas.  As  soon  as  he  was  able, 
he  estabhshed  a  modest  little  studio,  and  began  to 
paint  landscapes  adorned  with  architectural  monu- 
ments. Their  pecuniary  value  was  not  great,  and 
their  author  was  forced  to  live  with  the  utmost 
economy,  and  to  meet  the  trials  of  a  life  of  pov- 
erty. Yet  he  resisted  the  natural  temptation  to  do 
rapid  and  careless  work  for  the  sake  of  mere 
money-making,  and  maintained  his  slow  and 
steady  advance  in  excellence. 

In  tiicse  formative  days  his  chief  study  was  that 
of  out-door  nature,  to  whose  varying  phases  he 
gave  the  closest  attention.  This  method  of  labor 
was  ever  afterwards  adhered  to ;  and,  by  continual 


26  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

communion  with  the  source  of  his  inspiration,  he 
avoided  sinking  into  academic  mannerism  and 
losing  the  freshness  of  his  impressions.  Sandrart 
bears  a  precious  testimony  to  the  originahty  of  his 
observation  of  Nature ;  and  other  ancient  writers, 
while  denying  that  he  possessed  genius,  concur  in 
attributing  his  remarkable  success  to  a  diligent, 
intelligent,  and  loving  study  of  the  fields  and  hills, 
the  sea-shore  and  the  grove. 

His  true  master  was  not  Goffreddo,  nor  Tassi, 
nor  Poussin,  but  the  sun,  —  master  at  once  and 
model.  With  unwear)'ing  patience  and  incessant 
fatigues,  he  strove  to  learn  well  its  teachings,  and 
to  catch  its  manifold  expressions,  to  surprise  its 
hidden  secrets  of  effect,  and  to  comprehend  the 
caprices  and  the  harmonies  of  all  its  diurnal  prog- 
ress. Often  and  again  he  arose  before  the  stars 
had  paled  their  lights,  and,  passing  under  the  black 
arches  of  the  embattled  gates,  went  forth  upon  the 
dark  and  solitary  Campagna,  to  mark  the  brilliant 
splendors  of  the  breaking  day.  So,  standing  on 
s6me  remote  hill,  while  other  rnen  slept  within  the 
guarded  walls,  this  lonely  sentinel  of  art  watched 
the  sparkling  jewels  of  the  aurora  and  the  fleecy 
clouds  over  the  blushing  east,  while  the  sky  slowly 


THE  ROMAN  DA  VVN.  27 

changed  from  glory  unto  glory.  In  delicate  tints, 
yet  full  of  marvellous  richness,  the  silvery  shading 
of  the  horizon  passed  into  bands  of  yellow  above, 
and  these  into  orange,  thence  to  vermilion,  and  at 
last  to  the  violet  light  of  the  zenith.  Underneatl-> 
this  pageantry  of  the  heavens  lay  the  Sabine  Moun- 
tains, dark,  clear-cut,  and  many-crested,  with 
Palestrina  fairly  under  the  winter  sunrise,  and 
Tivoli  under  that  of  summer. 

From  the  dewy  fields  —  now  sparkling  as  if  dia- 
mond-strewn—  Claude  would  return  into  the 
awakening  city,  and,  in  the  quietness  of  his  studio, 
would  transfer  to  the  canvas  the  brilliant  scene 
which  was  so  vividly  impressed  on  his  memory. 
Before  approaching  the  easel  he  had  thought  out 
the  whole  compass  of  his  new  work,  and  studied 
all  the  kindred  grand  effects  in  the  wide  realms  of 
Nature.  The  results  were  rich  and  tranquil,  em- 
bracing much,  and  full  of  verisimilitude. 

Claude  inaugurated  what  is  rightly  called  the 
golden  age  of  the  landscape-painters,  whose  cardi- 
nal principle  was  the  careful  and  constant  study  of 
nature.  Tassi  and  Goffreddo,  indeed,  gave  him 
lessons  in  the  technic  of  the  profession ;  but  he 
borrowed  nothing  from  them,  either  in  manner  of 


28  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Study  or  execution.  His  new  method,  together 
with  its  many  excellences,  had  its  disadvantages  of 
slowness  and  enormous  labor ;  and  when  the  year 
1625  arrived,  although  he  had  been  in  Italy  for 
over  ten  years,  he  had  won  neither  fame  nor 
money.  Poussin,  Ruysdael,  Hobbema,  Cuyp,  and 
the  others  who  followed  his  example  in  later  days, 
and  approached  him  the  most  nearly,  were  led 
ipwards  by  the  same  long  and  arduous  path. 


A  PILGRIMAGE.  29 


CHAPTER  II. 

Claude's  Journey  to  Loreto,  Venice,  and  Munich.  —  His  Return  to 
Lorraine.  —  Works  at  Nancy.  —  Yearning  for  Italy.  —  His  Jour- 
ney to  Marseilles.  —  Once  more  at  Rome. 

In  April,  1625,  Claude  left  Rome,  and  journeyed 
through  Venice  and  Bavaria  to  his  native  land. 
He  did  not  go  to  Venice  by  the  direct  route 
through  Florence,  but  made  a  wide  circuit  to  the 
eastward  to  the  Holy  House  of  Loreto,  the  most 
famous  pilgrimage-shrine  in  Italy.  It  is  said  that 
he  was  so  impressed  with  a  sense  of  his  indebted- 
ness to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  guarding  him  from 
danger  and  helping  him  upward,  that  he  remained 
for  several  days  at  Loreto,  giving  liimself  to  pro- 
longed devotional  meditations. 

The  route  usually  followed  by  pilgrims  from 
Rome  to  Loreto,  and  now  traversed  by  Claude, 
afforded  a  continuous  panorama  of  wild  and  beauti- 
ful scenery,  such  as  must  have  given  the  profound- 
est  pleasure  to  the  devout  lover  of  nature.  It  led 
up  the  Tiber  and  Nera  Valleys  by  Temi  and  Spole- 


30  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

to,  and  along  the  rich  meadows  of  the  Clitumnus 
to  Foligno.  Thence  the  Apennines  were  crossed, 
by  the  grassy  plateaus  of  Colfiorito,  surrounded  by 
stupendous  mountains,  and  between  the  wild  preci- 
pices of  Serravalle,  bordered  by  sterile  deserts. 
From  the  high  crest-line  beyond,  the  road  descend- 
ed through  the  Umbrian  glens  to  the  classic  hamlets 
of  the  Roman  Marches,  passing  ancient  Camerino 
and  San  Severino,  and  following  one  of  the  venera- 
ble Latin  roads  down  the  Chienti  Valley,  with  fre- 
quent glimpses  of  the  blue  Adriatic  in  front,  and 
the  lofty  Sibilla  peaks  on  the  south.  At  last  the 
reverent  pilgrim  reached  Loreto,  on  its  noble  hill, 
overlooking  the  mountains  and  the  sea,  and  even 
then  a  shrine  hallowed  by  three  centuries  of 
prayers. 

After  his  season  of  holy  contemplation  Claude 
travelled  northward  along  the  Adriatic  coast  and 
through  the  Romagna,  and  went  to  Venice.  He 
is  supposed  to  have  dwelt  there  for  some  time, 
practising  his  profession  busily,  encouraged  and 
patronized  by  the  numerous  wealthy  connoisseurs 
who  then  lived  in  the  city,  and  deriving  some 
special  instruction  from  the  local  academy  of  art. 
The  superb  architecture  of  the  Venetian  palaces 


AT  VENICE.  31 

must  have  claimed  his  admiring  attention,  and 
furnished  abundant  subjects  for  his  pencil.  But 
Providence  had  ordered  that  he  should  not  remain 
in  the  fair  sea-city,  to  anticipate  the  labors  and 
triumphs  of  Canaletto. 

He  doubtless  studied  the  great  works  of  Titian 
with  enthusiasm,  and  endeavored  to  discover  the 
secret  of  his  magic  coloring.  It  has  been  said  by 
modern  critics,  that  if  Titian  had  devoted  his  life 
to  landscape-painting  he  would  have  produced 
compositions  not  unlike  those  of  Claude.  Both 
of  these  illustrious  masters  had  the  same  traits  of 
powerful  generalization,  simplicity  of  execution,  and 
naturalism  of  design.  Their  works  are  full  of  glow 
and  warmth,  with  the  true  brilliancy  of  nature's 
Italian  hues  pervading  all,  mingled  and  softened  as 
in  the  fair  outer  world. 

While  sojourning  in  the  City  of  the  Sea,  Claude 
executed  several  paintings  of  the  scenery  in  its 
vicinity.  One  of  these  represents  Venice  as  ap- 
proached from  Mestre,  \vith  the  wide  Lagune  open- 
ing to  the  east,  and  studded  with  populous  islands. 
Le  Brun  stated  that  this  work  was  nearly  ruined 
by  restorations,  and  it  has  now  disappeared.  It  is 
impossible  to  say  at  this  time  whether  the  titles  ot 


32  CLAUDE   LORRAINE 

'A  View  of  the  Port  and  City  of  Genoa.'  'The 
Ancient  Port  of  Messina/  and  'A  View  of  Spez- 
zia,'  are  justly  bestowed,  or  whether  they  are  mere- 
ly conjectural  and  fanciful. 

When  Claude  left  Rome  it  does  not  appear  that 
he  intended  to  travel  beyond  Italy  ;  but  instead  of 
returning  southward  from  Venice  he  bent  his  steps 
toward  Germany.  He  was  probably  influenced  by 
tidings  received  during  his  sojourn  in  Venice, 
which  told  that  his  presence  was  needed  in  Lor- 
raine with  regard  to  the  affairs  of  the  Gellde  family. 

The  artist's  journey  toward  the  home  of  his 
earlier  years  was  not  conducted  under  the  stress 
of  urgency ;  for  he  took  a  winding  and  circuitous 
course,  as  if  to  study  and  enjoy  the  wild  scenery 
of  the  Alps  at  various  points.  During  the  tour,  he 
was  prostrated  by  sickness ;  and,  while  thus  ren- 
dered helpless,  he  was  plundered  of  all  his  earthly 
possessions  by  certain  unsympathetic  thieves.  He 
had  already  made  considerable  money  by  painting 
pictures  in  the  cities  through  which  he  passed  ;  and 
tliis  too  was  taken  from  him. 

The  route  followed  was  through  Trent,  the  city 
of  the  great  council,  and  over  the  Brenner  Pass  to 
Innspruck,  the  capital  of  the  Tyrol.     What  revela- 


IN  BAVARIA.  IZ 

tions  of  the  awful  grandeur  of  Nature  were  borne 
in  upon  the  painter's  soul,  as  he  thus  traversed  the 
mighty  Alps  and  the  profound  TjTolese  defiles  ! 
Yet  no  record,  pictorial  or  written,  remains  to  show 
how  far  these  scenes  impressed  him ;  and  the 
mountains  which  appear  in  liis  compositions  are 
always  the  graceful  and  moderate  elevations  of  the 
Alban  and  Sabine  ranges,  —  Soracte,  Gennaro,  or 
Monte  Cavo.  Ruskin  has  indeed  proven  his  ina- 
bility to  represent  a  distant  snowy  peak,  by  illustra- 
tions drawn  from  his  works. 

Claude  must  have  devoted  some  time  to  Bavaria 
on  his  homeward  journey ;  for  he  painted  at  least 
two  views  in  the  environs  of  Munich.  The  sterile 
plains  of  the  Isar  afforded  but  scanty  materials  for 
the  enthusiastic  artist  of  the  bright  and  luxuriant 
Campagna ;  but  somehow  he  found  wherewithal  to 
content  himself.  He  sojourned  for  some  time  at 
tne  village  of  Harlaching. 

In  1865  King  Louis  of  Bavaria  erected  a  monu- 
ment at  Harlaching,  to  commemorate  Claude's 
abode  there ;  and  the  ceremonies  of  dedication 
were  made  picturesque  by  a  great  festival  of  artists. 

From  Munich  he  passed  eastward  across  Swabia, 
and  through  the  Black  Forest,  and  at  last  reached 


34  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

his  native  hamlet  on  the  banks  of  the  Moselle.  It 
was  during  the  latter  part  of  the  journey  that  he 
was  pitilessly  plundered  by  thieves ;  so  that  he  re- 
turned, after  twelve  years  of  absence,  as  poor  as 
when  he  had  departed,  save  in  his  treasures  of  ex- 
perience and  remembrance.  He  remained  at  Cha- 
magne  but  a  short  time,  and  settled  certain  affairs 
of  family  business. 

After  this  brief  visit  to  the  home  of  the  Gelle'es, 
Claude  travelled  to  Nancy,  the  capital  of  Lorraine, 
and  the  seat  of  the  brilliant  court  of  the  reigning 
Duke.  It  was  then,  as  it  still  is,  one  of  the  fairest 
cities  of  France,  full  of  the  memorials  of  antiquity, 
and  nestling  under  the  vine-clad  hills  which  enwall 
the  valley  of  the  Meurthe.  Claude  had  a  kinsman 
resident  in  the  city,  who  received  him  with  warm 
demonstrations  of  welcome,  and  gave  him  very 
material  assistance.  He  was  acquainted  with 
Claude  de  Ruet,  then  one  of  the  most  renowned 
artists  of  Lorraine,  and  the  head  of  the  profession 
in  Nancy,  being  the  court  painter  to  the  Duke  of 
Lorraine.  De  Ruet  had  been  a  pupil  of  Tempesta 
at  Rome,  and  was  the  jealous  rival  of  Callot. 
Claude  was  introduced  to  this  local  Raphael  by 
his  friendly  kinsman ;  and  his  works  were  found  so 


AT  NANCY  35 

acceptable  that  the  young  disciple  of  Tassi  was 
engaged  by  the  court-painter  as  his  assistant  and 
coadjutor.  De  Riiet  had  been  ennobled  by  Duke 
Henri  II.,  some  years  before ;  and  had  acquired 
great  wealth  and  social  influence  at  Nancy,  being 
continually  overflowed  with  commissions,  and  em- 
ploying several  Italian  artists  to  labor  under  his 
direction. 

Claude  desired  at  this  time  to  master  the  art  of 
depicting  figures,  and  entered  De  Ruet's  service 
on  the  condition  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  paint 
the  men  and  animals  in  the  forthcoming  pictures, 
in  order  to  improve  himself  in  that  branch  of  art. 
The  litrie  court  of  Lorraine  delighted  in  portrayals 
of  pretentious  and  heroic  personages  in  an  exag- 
gerated classic  manner,  foreshadowing  the  appear- 
ance of  the  same  style  during  the  periods  of  David's 
degradation  of  French  art.  It  i3  difficult  to  ima- 
gine the  tender  lover  of  graceful  nature  designing 
the  cold  and  formal  demi-gods  of  Lorrainese  taste, 
with  their  statuesque  rigidity  and  case-hardened 
flesh.  The  student  of  the  beautiful  passed  an 
entire  year  in  this  manner  of  work,  of  which,  fortu- 
nately, no  vestiges  now  remain. 

Late  in  the  year   1626   De  Ruet  was  commis- 


36  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

sioned  to  adorn  the  ceiling  of  the  Carmehte  Church 
with  a  series  of  colossal  pictures.  During  the  yeai 
in  which  Claude  had  been  \vith  him,  the  mastei 
had  learned  both  his  strong  and  weak  points,  and 
showed  his  appreciation  of  the  former  by  associat- 
ing the  young  man  with  himself  in  the  new  works. 
At  the  same  time  he  considered  Claude  as  still 
lacking  in  aptitude  for  painting  figures,  and  re- 
served that  part  of  the  pictures  for  himself,  together 
with  the  general  composition  thereof.  He  devolved 
upon  his  associate  the  task  of  painting  the  archi- 
tectural scenery,  and  thus  violated  the  previous 
contract. 

After  Claude  had  devoted  a  year  to  this  arid 
and  unsatisfactory  work  in  the  Carmelite  Church, 
he  grew  weary  of  the  position  and  of  the  rude 
northern  scenes  and  climate,  and  sighed  for  a  re- 
turn to  the  grand  and  well-nigh  sacred  Campagna 
of  Rome,  so  genial  to  art,  with  its  over-arching  blue 
sky  and  the  venerable  ruins  along  its  rich  yet  mel- 
ancholy wastes.  At  this  time  an  accident  occurred, 
which  intensified  his  desire  to  give  up  the  labors 
which  were  at  once  so  arduous  and  so  restraining  to 
his  genius.  He  was  being  aided  in  a  certain  part 
of  his  work  by  a  gilder,  who  attended  him  on  a 


FAREWELL    TO    LORRAINE.  37 

high  scaffold  under  the  ceiling  of  the  church.  By 
an  accidental  miss-step  this  assistant  fell  from  the 
platform,  and  would  have  been  instantly  killed  by 
striking  on  the  pavement  far  below,  but  that  he 
succeeded  in  grasping  a  projecting  beam.  Claude 
hurried  down  just  in  time  to  save  the  unfortunate 
man's  life,  for  his  weight  was  rapidly  forcing  the 
frail  support  from  its  fastenings.  This  alarming 
episode  made  such  an  impression  on  the  sensitive 
mind  of  the  artist,  already  persuaded  that  he  could 
never  become  a  great  painter  while  thus  laboring 
in  dependence,  that  he  hastened  to  complete  the 
work  on  which  he  was  engaged,  and  resolved  to 
return  to  Italy  as  soon  as  possible.  The  mysterious 
charm  of  Rome,  which  has  always  exercised  so 
profound  a  sway  over  the  greatest  artistic  minds, 
had  gained  an  overmastering  control  of  his  lofty 
soul,  and  led  him  irresistibly  towards  the  seven- 
hilled  city  and  the  solemn  Campagna. 

In  the  summer  of  1627,  he  bade  farewell  to  Lor- 
raine, and  went  thence,  never  to  return.  Yet  its 
name  and  memory  were  ever  dear  to  him  ;  and 
when,  in  later  years,  he  had  placed  his  name 
among  the  loftiest  in  the  temple  of  Fame,  it  was 
linked  ^^ith  that  of  his  fatherland,  and  gained  a  new 
meaning  in  the  annals  of  art. 


38  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Before  the  summer  was  ended  the  pilgrim  ot  art 
had  passed  down  through  Burgundy  to  Lyons,  where 
he  sojourned  for  a  few  days.  Then  he  descended 
the  River  Rhone  to  Marseilles,  where  he  was 
attacked  with  a  dangerous  fever,  by  which  his  life  was 
threatened  for  a  long  time.  During  this  time  of 
helplessness,  he  was  once  more  robbed  of  all  his 
worldly  effects,  and  left  in  utter  poverty  among 
strangers.  But  one  piece  of  money  remained  to 
him  on  his  recovery ;  and  this,  with  the  buoyancy 
and  fearlessness  of  a  true  child  of  art,  he  expended 
in  the  festivities  of  an  evening  of  merry-making 
with  certain  new-found  comrades.  His  only  grief 
was  that  the  means  for  the  journey  to  Rome  were 
gone.  But  he  quickly  cast  about  for  fresh  supplies, 
and  sought  the  acquaintance  of  a  wealthy  merchant 
of  Marseilles,  who  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being 
a  patron  of  the  arts.  From  this  gentleman  he  re- 
ceived a  commission  to  paint  two  pictures ;  and 
these  compositions  were  so  successfully  executed 
that  two  more  were  speedily  ordered.  But  Claude 
had  no  desire  to  settle  in  Marseilles,  and  had  al- 
ready earned  enough  to  carry  him  to  that  august 
city  whose  memories  and  promises  lured  him  on ; 
wherefore  he  declined  the   new  commission,  and 


ALMA   ROMA.  39 

engaged  passage  o,;  <^he  first  vessel  departing  for  the 
Italian  coast. 

He  was  not  alone  in  the  voyage,  for  on  the  same 
ship  sailed  Charles  Erard  of  Nantes,  with  his  father 
and  brother,  court-painters  of  His  Most  Christian 
Majesty,  Louis  XUI.  They  also  were  bound  for 
the  Eternal  City,  and  journeyed  in  company  with 
Claude.  The  voyage  was  full  of  alarms  and  terrors, 
for  the  ship  was  overtaken  by  violent  tempests,  inso- 
much that  at  one  time  the  crew  gave  themselves  up 
for  lost ;  but  at  last  the  weary  travellers  reached  the 
port  of  Civita  Vecchia,  on  the  coast  of  the  Patri- 
mony of  St.  Peter. 

It  was  on  the  day  of  the  Feast  of  St.  Luke,  the 
patron  saint  of  painters,  that  Claude  re-entered 
Rome,  after  an  absence  of  over  two  years.  In  the 
beautiful  October  weather  which  enfolds  Latium 
with  clear  splendor,  he  crossed  the  fifty  miles  of  the 
Campagna  between  Civita  Vecchia  and  the  Gate  of 
St.  Pancrazio,  and  once  more  overlooked  the  city 
from  the  crest  of  the  Janiculan  Hill. 


40  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Nicholas  Poussin.  —  Sandrart,  Claude's  Companion  and  Biogra* 
pher. — Claude's  Method  of  Study.  —  The  Sludio  at  SS.  Tri- 
nita  de'  Monti.  —  Digression  on  American  Artists. 

At  this  time  Nicholas  Poussin  was  the  leader 
of  the  artists  of  France  residing  at  Rome.  This 
famous  Norman  painter  had  based  his  studies  on 
Raphael's  designs,  and  was  intimate  with  Philippe 
de  Champaigne  and  the  poet  Marini.  He  had  en- 
tered Italy  for  the  third  time  in  1624,  and  settled 
at  Rome,  where  he  joined  the  party  of  Domeni- 
chino  in  the  contest  with  the  naturalistic  disciples 
of  Caravaggio.  Here  he  remained  for  many  years, 
closely  engaged  in  studying  the  ancient  statuary  of 
the  city,  and  acquiring  fresh  laurels  continually. 
Around  him  gathered  a  noble  band  of  artists,  — 
Valentino,  Stella,  Bamboccio,  Poelenburg,  Sandrart, 
II  Fiammingo,  and  others.  It  was  natural  that 
Claude  also  should  join  this  goodly  company,  and 
seek  the  ivise  counsel  and  worthy  influence  of  his 
illustrious  compatriot. 


poussin:  41 

Blanc  says  that  Claude  and  Poussin  became  very 
intimate  at  this  time,  living  close  to  each  other  at 
SS.  Trinita  de'  Monti.  But  Bonchitte,  in  his  aa- 
mirable  "  Life  of  Poussin  "  (which  was  crowned  by 
the  French  Academy),  doubts  whether  the  two 
artists  were  ever  well  acquainted  with  each  other ; 
and  both  Bellori  and  Gault  de  St.  Germain,  in  their 
biographies  of  Poussin,  ignore  even  the  name  of 
Claude.  It  is  furthermore  certain  that  Poussin  did 
not  occupy  his  house  at  SS.  Trinita  until  1629, 
when  he  bought  it  with  the  dowry  of  his  bride. 
Nevertheless  it  appears  most  probable  that  the  two 
great  landscape-painters  were  in  some  way  brought 
together,  and  exerted  a  reciprocal  influence  on 
each  other.  We  may  imagine  how,  under  the  gen- 
tle yet  powerful  influence  of  Poussin,  the  mind  of 
the  master  of  Lorraine  was  developed  into  a  broad- 
er culture,  and  his  manner  acquired  a  greater  de- 
gree of  majesty  and  distinction.  The  breath  of  the 
ideal,  a  memory  of  the  divine  Raphael,  took  pos- 
session of  him  by  inspiration,  and  gave  to  the  pupil 
of  Goffreddo  and  Tassi  new  visions  of  lofty  and 
serene  beauty.  Poussin's  example  was  a  conserva- 
tive and  yet  a  progressive  incitement  to  him,  keep- 
ing his    pencil    from    unworthy  aberrations,   and 


42  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

teaching  him  how  best  to  mingle  the  architectural 
and  rural  components  of  his  great  compositions. 

It  IS  possible  that  when  Claude  returned  to  Rome 
he  was  still  illiterate,  since  his  early  life  was  so  far 
devoted  to  other  things  that  he  had  but  little  time 
and  scant  desire  to  attend  school.  If  this  was  ac- 
tually the  case,  he  took  good  care  to  repair  the 
defect  as  soon  as  possible,  by  learning  to  read  and 
write ;  for  the  inscriptions  on  the  etchings  and  in 
the  Liber  Veritatis  were  written  by  his  own  hand. 

Towards  the  year  1630  Claude  became  acquaint- 
ed with  Joachim  Sandrart,  who  in  later  years  was 
his  biographer  and  an  eminent  art- critic  and  col- 
lector. Sandrart  had  then  but  recently  arrived 
from  Germany,  and  had  not  yet  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-four.  According  to  his  own  narrative, 
he  became  very  intimate  with  Claude,  and  was 
accustomed  to  accompany  him  on  his  long  tours 
in  the  Campagna  and  among  the  Apennines.  The 
two  artists  labored  together,  and  communicated 
freely  to  each  other  the  results  of  their  studies  in 
the  art  of  representing  nature.  With  a  calm  and 
complacent  bonhomie  Sandrart  tells  us  that,  "  In 
seeing  me  portraying  rocks  after  nature  rather  than 
from  invention,  Claude  found  my  method  excellent, 


SANDRART.  43 

and  profited  by  it  so  well  that  by  indefatigable  labor 
and  an  invincible  stubbornness,  he  succeeded  in 
malcing  beautiful  landscapes,  which  the  amateurs 
bought  at  veiy  high  prices,  and  whose  numbers  did 
not  suffice  to  satisfy  their  impatience." 

Nevertheless  the  naive  German  acknowledgea 
his  comrade's  superior  abihty  in  depicting  distant 
horizons,  and  the  falling  of  light  on  the  back- 
grounds, or  the  aerial  perspective.  He  himself 
preferred  to  paint  huge  pictures  of  oddly  shaped 
rocks,  overturned  trees,  waterfalls,  ponderous  ruins, 
and  such  piles  of  architecture  as  seemed  most 
appropriate  to  historical  compositions.  He  appre- 
ciated Claude's  ambition  to  illuminate  his  canvases 
with  the  light  of  immeasurable  distances  of  sun- 
shine, and  to  portray  the  grandeur,  gerenity,  and 
majestic  harmony  of  nature  when  the  sun  flooded 
a  cloudless  sky  with  brilliancy  and  warmth.  Still 
he  conceived  that  so  far  as  foregrounds  went  he 
himself  was  the  better  artist,  and  he  freely  offered 
to  paint  in  these  parts  of  sundry  pictures  by  his 
illustrious  friend.  Fortunately  this  proposition  was 
decHned. 

The  two  painters,  however,  frequently  exchanged 
pictures  with  each  other,  a  system  of  transactions 


44  CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 

which  was  probably  not  without  great  profit  to  the 
slirewd  German.  He  indeed  tells  us,  with  infinite 
rehsh,  that  Claude  once  gave  him  a  morning  land- 
scape, which  he  sold  not  long  after  for  four  hun- 
dred florins.  This  statement  also  proves  that  at 
that  early  day,  the  pictures  of  our  artist  brought 
generous  prices  in  Rome. 

Sandrart  describes  Claude's  studies  at  this  period 
in  the  following  sentences  :  "  To  get  at  the  ground- 
work of  his  art,  and  to  penetrate  the  most  deeply 
hidden  secrets  of  nature,  he  never  left  the  fields. 
From  the  break  of  day  until  nightfall  he  applied 
himself  to  seize  the  varied  aspects  of  the  dawn  and 
the  rising  and  the  setting  of  the  sun.  Above  all, 
it  was  at  the  twilight  hours  that  he  studied  the 
living  mode^l  of  nature.  While  considering  tliis 
spectacle,  he  prepared  his  colors  after  the  same 
tints  that  he  observed  \  and  then,  returning  to  his 
house  with  the  colors  thus  made  ready,  he  applied 
them  to  the  work  which  he  had  undertaken.  He 
devoted  many  years  to  the  application  of  this  labo- 
rious and  difficult  method,  passing  his  days  in  the 
Campagna,  and  making  long  excursions  without 
ever  growing  weary.  I  met  him  frequently  in  the 
midst  of  the  steepest  rocks  of  Tivoli,  handling  the 


ROME'S  ENVIRONS.  45 

pencil  before  the  famous  cascades,  and  painting 
not  from  imagination  nor  from  inspiration,  but 
according  to  that  which  Nature  herself  breathed 
into  him.  This  manner  of  labor  had  such  a  charm 
for  him,  that  he  always  continued  to  follow  the 
same  method." 

Occasional  rich  effects  in  exact  reproductions 
from  the  environs  of  Rome  are  found  in  Claude's 
pictures,  although  in  most  cases  the  landscapes  are 
idealized  beyond  recognition.  Among  the  more 
carefully  rendered  transcripts  of  nature,  are  the 
pictures  of  the  '  Campo  Vaccino ' ;  Pope  Urban's 
*  Castel  Gandolfo  ' ;  De  Lonchaine's  '  Peasants 
Driving  Cattle  over  a  Bridge,'  with  the  rocks  and 
temple  of  Tivoli,  and  the  distant  city  of  Rome ; 
'Tobias  and  the  Angel,'  and  Gayer's  'Peasant 
Watering  Cattle,'  both  of  which  introduce  the  tall 
heights  of  Tivoli,  and  the  rock-bound  River  Tev- 
erone.  Passari's  '  Shepherd  Playing  on  a  Pipe ' 
depicts  the  same  cliffs  and  Sibylline  Temple. 
Others  show  the  Lake  of  Nemi,'  and  the  tranquil 
scenery  of  the  Alban  hills ;  or  the  lonely  watch- 
towers  and  silent  ports  along  the  sea-front  of  the 
Roman  Maremma.  Martial  has  truly  said  that 
Nature  combined  in  the  Roman  territory  the  many 


46  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

beauties  which  she  scattered  singly  in  other  places ; 
and  these  the  master  of  Lorraine  grouped  in  a 
still  further  concentration,  and  arranged  them  under 
a  rich  and  transfiguring  light. 

The  idea  has  gone  out  that  Claude  never  carried 
his  brushes  and  pencils  while  making  his  rural 
excursions,  but  bore  back  the  images  of  nature  in 
his  mind,  saturated  with  beauty,  to  place  them 
upon  his  canvases.  Sandrart,  however,  has  given 
witness  that  he  prepared  his  colors  under  the  blue 
sky,  and  that  he  also  painted  certain  subjects  in 
the  same  manner.  But  the  pictures  of  his  best 
period  are  not  strictly  representations  of  nature,  in 
the  sense  that  they  do  not  portray  any  known 
localities,  being  rather  rich  and  idealized  composi- 
r-  tions,  arranging  the  best  traits  of  various  scenes 
upon  one  canvas.  Though  not  in  their  entirety 
copied  from  real  life,  they  were  nevertheless  alto- 
gether composed  of  studies  from  such  life,  being  a 
careful  grouping  of  detached  types  drawn  from 
,  nature.     His  studio  was  filled  with  these  materials, 

;  colored  sketches  of  all  manner  of  trees  found  in 

'  Central  Italy,  vivid  reproductions  of  the  light  and 
shade  and  twilight,  the  vast  expanses  of  the  deso- 
late Campagna,  the  Alban  and  Sabine  Mountains, 


^ 


CLAUDE'S   TREES.  47 

the  calmly  flowing  streams  and  foaming  cascades, 
and  the  gray  ruins  of  the  ancient  civilizations.  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds  says  that  "  Claude  Lorraine  was 
convinced  that  taking  nature  as  he  found  it  seldom 
produced  beauty.  His  pictures  are  a  composition 
of  ihe  various  draughts  which  he  had  previously 
made  from  various  beautiful  scenes  and  prospects." 

Claude  always  kept  in  his  studio  a  large  painting 
of  the  country  about  the  Villa  Madama,  oi?  Monte 
Mario,  a  work  finished  with  Flemish  precision  and 
minuteness.  To  this  canvas  he  was  accustomed  to 
turn  when  he  wished  to  repeat  certain  manners  of 
trees  and  leaves,  for  he  had  included  in  it  nearly 
every  variety  of  foliage  common  in  Central  Italy. 
On  one  occasion  Pope  Clement  IX.,  greatly  desir- 
ing to  possess  this  wonderful  picture,  offered  to  pay 
for  it  as  many  gold  pieces  as  would  cover  it ;  but 
the  artist  declined  to  part  with  his  work,  even  at  so 
great  a  price. 

The  trees  which  Claude  preferred  to  paint  in  his 
landscapes  were  the  chestnut  and  the  horse-chest- 
nut, which  are  noble  in  contour,  of  well-rounded 
forms,  and  bear  enlivening  masses  of  silvery  moss 
on  their  brown  bark.  It  is  easy  to  distinguish  the 
species  of  his  trees  by  the  careful  arrangement  of 


48  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

the  branches,  their  pecuHar  clustering,  and  the 
characteristics  of  the  foUage.  Their  grouping  was 
always  arranged  with  rare  skill  and  symmetry,  with 
reference  to  the  adjacent  rivers,  meadows,  or  ruins, 
and  preserv^ed  the  satisfying  balance  of  the  scene. 
Sandrart  says,  in  his  quaint  Germanic  Latin,  that 
the  leaves  of  Claude's  trees  seemed  to  move  and 
tremble  at  the  breath  of  the  wind.  But  Ruskin 
thinks  that  the  bough-drawing  of  Claude  resembles 
that  of  a  boy  ten  years  old,  and  that  his  nearer 
leafage  is  utterly  false  ;  adding  that  "  the  foliage  in 
his  middle  distances  is  the  finest  and  truest  part  of 
his  pictures,  and,  on  the  whole,  affords  the  best 
example  of  good  drawing  to  be  found  in  ancient 
art." 

As  soon  as  Claude's  position  was  well  assured, 
he  took  rooms  near  the  Church  of  Santissima 
Trinita  de'  Monti,  close  to  the  studio  of  Poussin. 
The  view  from  this  locality  is  well  known  as  one  of 
the  most  magnificent  of  all  the  wonderful  pano- 
ramas from  the  Roman  hills,  looking  across  the 
Tiber  to  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  and  the  Vatican, 
and  out  to  the  gray  hills  of  Southern  Etruria. 
What  a  noble  prospect  to  be  outspread  daily  before 
the  eyes  of  the  ardent  and  appreciative  lover  oi 
nature  1 


VILLA   MED  LCI.  49 

Poussin's  house  was  at  number  nine,  Piazza  della 
Trinita,  close  to  that  in  which  Salvator  Rosa  dweU 
a  few  years  later ;  and  the  domicile  of  Claude  was 
opposite  that  of  his  great  countryman.  These 
houses  were  on  the  crest  of  the  southern  extension 
of  the  Pincian  Hill,  where  the  Via  Sistina  widens 
at  the  head  of  the  Spanish  Stairs,  and  high  above 
the  Piazza  di  Spagna.  Their  facades  have  since 
been  thrown  down  and  rebuilt,  and  the  sizes  of  the 
original  domiciles  are  not  now  known. 

A  site  more  favorable  for  the  home  of  a  lover 
of  nature  and  of  classic  architecture  could  hardly 
be  imagined.  He  could  enjoy  not  only  the  splen- 
did view  over  the  city,  with  its  conspicuous  monu- 
ments of  so  many  important  events  in  the  liistory 
of  humanity,  but  also  the  delicious  groves  and 
gardens  of  the  Villa  Medici,  extending  over, two 
miles,  the  sparkling  fountains  and  verdant  shrub- 
beries alternating  with  beds  of  perennial  flowers 
and  groups  of  stately  trees.  Among  the  shady 
bowers  and  blooming  terraces  vvere  precious  treas- 
ures of  statuary  art,  —  the  Niobe  group,  the  Wrest- 
lers, the  Apollino,  and  others  hardly  less  famous. 
Over  these  elysian  delights  rose  the  Villa  Medici, 
with  its  magnificent  halls  and  stately  facade.     The 


so  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

villa  was  then  occupied  by  Cardinal  de'  Medici, 
the  Cardinal  of  Tuscany,  and  was  the  headquar- 
ters of  his  large  and  powerful  faction.  The  Convent 
of  the  Trinity  stood  near,  attached  to  the  Church 
of  SS.  Trinita,  and  sheltered  a  goodly  number  of 
cheerful  French  monks,  whose  dark  costumes 
mingled  frequently  with  the  brilliant  Medici  liver- 
ies on  the  promenades. 

After  Claude  had  established  his  new  studio  on 
the  Pincian  Hill,  he  began,  to  work  earnestly  and 
continuously,  and  made  a  considerable  number  of 
brilliant  pictures,  which  were  readily  purchased  by 
the  Roman  amateurs  and  by  foreign  visitors.  He 
finished  all  of  these  works  with  his  own  hand,  and 
ventured  to  give  them  life  and  motion  by  painting 
figures  of  his  own  designing. 

At  this  point  we  cannot  forbear  making  a  digres- 
sion to  recall  how  the  Piazza  of  SS.  Trinita  de' 
Monti,  hallowed  by  such  memories  of  the  great 
masters  of  old,  is  also  celebrated  in  the  annals  of 
American  art.  Seventy  years  ago  Washington  Alls- 
ton  lived  opposite  Claude's  house,  and  enjoyed  a 
close  intimacy  witli  Coleridge  and  Thorwaldsen. 
Washington  Irving  was  also  a  bosom-companion 
of  Allston  at  this  time,  and  resolved  to  become  a 


AMERICAN  ARTISTS.  $1 

painter  himself,  under  the  fascination  of  that  glori- 
ous view  over  the  city  and  its  marvellous  environs 
In  the  next  house,  where  Salvator  Rosa  is  sup- 
posed to  have  lived,  were  the  rooms  of  John  Van 
derly-n,  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  unfortunate  of 
American  artists.  He  afterwards  wrote  to  AUston, 
saying,  "  When  I  look  back  some  five  or  six  and 
thirty  years,  when  we  were  both  in  Rome  together, 
and  next-door  neighbors  on  the  Trinita  de'  Monti, 
and  in  the  spring  of  life,  full  of  enthusiasm  for  our 
art,  and  fancying  fair  prospects  awaiting  us  in  after 
years,  it  is  painful  to  reflect  how  far  these  hopes 
have  been  from  being  realized."  At  that  time 
Fenimore  Cooper  was  in  Rome,  and  also  J.  M.  W. 
Turner,  afterwards  Claude's  bitterest  antagonist. 

Fifty  years  ago,  Horatio  Greenough  and  Robert 
F.  Weir  lived  in  the  house  opposite  Claude's,  and 
devoted  themselves  to  the  study  of  art  with  intense 
application  and  earnestness.  In  1832  Claude's 
studio  was  occupied  by  a  transatlantic  artist  who 
might  almost  have  restored  its  ancient  glories.  It 
was  Thomas  Cole,  who  had  done  for  the  Catskills 
and  the  Adirondacks  what  Claude  had  done  for 
the  Sabine  and  Alban  Mountains,  and  at  last  re- 
turned home  to  become  "  the  parent  of  true  idyll, 


52  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

or  pastoral  painting  in  x^merica."  A  man  of  reli- 
gious sanctity  of  character,  tranquil  gravity,  and 
lofty  idealism,  he  was  'worthy  of  his  surroundings 
at  Rome,  which  indeed  stimulated  him  to  breath- 
less industry.  Looking  from  the  windows  over  the 
wide  landscape  and  the  sacred  city,  even  as  Claude 
had  looked  for  so  many  years,  he  was  filled  with 
rapturous  inspiration,  and  "worked  like  a  crazy 
man,"  as  the  wondering  Romans  said.  He  gave 
to  his  great  predecessor  the  following  superlative 
tribute :  "  Claude,  to  me,  is  the  greatest  of  all 
landscape-painters ;  and,  indeed,  I  should  rank 
him  with  Raphael  or  Michael  Angelo." 

In  our  days  George  L.  Brown,  now  one  of  the 
foremost  of  American  landscape-painters,  began  his 
artistic  career  by  copying  Claude's  pictures,  working 
hard  and  living  very  economically  in  an  old  Roman 
palace.  His  success  in  this  Avork  was  so  great,  and 
his  enthusiasm  so  marked,  that  the  fellow-profes- 
sionals in  Rome  and  Florence  gave  him  the  new 
name  of  Claude  Brown.  It  was  generally  admit- 
ted that  he  was  able  to  imitate  his  great  predeces- 
sor's glowing  compositions  with  better  effect  than 
any  other  artist  then  in  Italy. 


GOTHIC  BATTALIONS.  S3 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Gothic  Menace.  —  Urban  VIII. — Cardinal  Bentivoglio. — 
The  Pope's  Pictures. — Claude's  Etchings.  —  The  Liber  Veru- 
tatis. 

In  the  year  1632  Rome  was  filled  with  terrible 
alarm,  and  her  citizens  were  panic-stricken.  The 
King  of  Sweden  was  advancing  through  Southern 
Germany  with  30,000  Protestant  troops ;  and  the 
opinionated  Pope,  while  acknowledging  that  "with 
30,000  men  Alexander  conquered  the  world,"  re- 
fused to  take  measures  of  defence  against  the  victo- 
rious Northern  armies.  "  Amidst  the  conflagration 
of  Catholic  churches  and  monasteries,  the  Pope 
stands  cold  and  rigid  as  ice,"  —  said  the  amazed 
Roman  Curia.  Meanwhile  the  Swedish  armies  over- 
ran Bavaria,  occupied  Munich,  and  advanced  to  the 
Tyi'ol.  Their  leader,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  bore  the 
ominous  title  of  King  of  the  Swedes  and  Goths ;  y(^ 
and  the  apparition  of  new  Gothic  legions  on  the 
frontiers  of  Italy  aroused  terrible  associations  in  a 
city  which  still  remembered  the  hordes  of  Alaxic. 


54  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Urban  VIII.,  the  ruling  Pontiff  at  that  time, 
came  from  a  noble  commercial  family  of  Florence, 
the  Barberini,  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Ro- 
man Church  at  an  early  age.  He  was  elected  Pope, 
not  without  deep  intriguing,  in  1623,  after  the  long 
battles  of  the  Catholic  restoration  were  over,  and 
developed  great  vigor  as  a  temporal  prince.  Of 
his  immediate  predecessors,  Clement  VIII.  was  usu- 
ally busied  in  studying  the  works  of  St.  Bernard, 
and  Paul  V.  occupied  himself  with  the  writings  of 
the  holy  Justinian  of  Venice ;  but  Urban's  table 
was  laden  with  plans  of  fortresses  and  sheets  of  the 
newest  poems.  He  destroyed  so  many  rehcs  of 
antiquity  in  the  construction  of  his  batteries  and 
palaces,  that  the  Romans  mournfully  proclaimed 
that  the  Barberini  had  demolished  what  even  the 
Barbarians  had  spared,  —  Quod  Ba^-bari  non  fcce- 
riint,  Barberini feceru7it.  The  marble  monuments 
of  preceding  Popes  were  pointed  out  to  him,  but 
he  declared  that  his  own  should  be  of  iron.  Fort- 
resses arose  in  all  the  Ecclesiastical  States,  a  naval 
port  was  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber, 
and  the  uproar  of  a  crowded  camp  filled  the  Eter- 
nal City.  The  Huguenots  were  being  destroyed  by 
Richelieu  at  La  Rochelle  ;  the  Stuarts  were  ruling 


URBAN  VIII.  AND  BENTIVOGLIO.  55 

in  the  British  Isles ;  and  Ferdinand  II.  occupied 
the  throne  of  the  Empire.  Northern  Europe  was 
all  ablaze  with  war,  —  Swedes,  Cossacks,  Spaniards, 
Frenchmen,  and  Germans  were  sla3ang  each  other 
everywhere,  in  the  name  of  God. 

Nevertheless, the  Pope  confined  his  chief  atten- 
tion to  the  aggrandizement  of  his  family,  amid  all 
the  storms  which  were  roaring  throughout  unhappy 
Christendom.  The  conclave  of  cardinals  made  an 
impartial  examination  of  the  affairs  of  the  State, 
after  Urban's  death,  and  reported  that  he  had  en- 
riched the  Barberini  family  by  over  ^119,000,000  ; 
an  amount  fivefold  more  stupendous  in  those  days 
than  in  ours,  considering  the  relative  value  of 
money. 

Cardinal  Bentivoglio  was  one  of  the  foremost 
men  of  the  Roman  Court,  and  was  the  confidential 
friend  of  Pope  Urban  VIII.  He  was  also  a  learned 
and  enlightened  prelate,  and  had  written  several 
voluminous  books.  So  high  did  he  stand  in  the 
estimation  of  the  Sacred  College,  that  he  would 
doubtless  have  been  elected  as  Urban  a  successor, 
but  for  his  sudden  death,  which  occurred  at  the 
opening  of  the  conclave  in  1644. 

Now,  it  happened  that  one   of  Claude's   land- 


S6  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

scapes  was  seen  by  Cardinal  Bentivoglio,  and  the 
great  diplomat  quickly  recognized  the  great  painter. 
He  ordered  two  pictures  of  similar  character  for  his 
own  palace.  When  these  were  finished,  the  Car- 
dinal showed  them  to  his  friend  and  master,  Pope 
Urban  VIII.,  who  viewed  them  with  great  admira- 
tion, and  summoned  the  artist  to  a  personal  inter- 
view, at  which  he  proclaimed  his  superiority  to 
other  landscape-artists,  and  commissioned  him  to 
paint  four  pictures  for  the  Papal  palace.  From 
that  hour  the  fortune  and  fame  of  the  Lorrainese 
went  forward  steadily,  hand  in  hand.  Orders 
poured  in  on  all  sides,  from  sovereigns,  cardinals, 
and  other  magnates ;  and  the  prices  of  Claude's 
works  rose  to  such  a  height  that  none  but  the 
wealthiest  could  hope  to  possess  them.  The  studio 
at  SS.  Trinita  de'  Monti  was  contmually  visited  by 
Rome's  noblest  citizens,  and  by  the  ambassadors  of 
foreign  princes. 

The  four  paintings  which  were  executed  for 
Pope  Urban  VIII.  sliowed  the  seaport  of  St.  Mari- 
nella,  a  harbor  containing  Papal  galleys,  and  two 
pastoral  scenes.  One  of  the  marine  views  is  now 
in  the  Louvre,  and  is  a  sunset  scene  in  an  Italian 
seaport,  rich  in  palatial  architecture,  and  with  busy 


URBAN 'S  PICTURES.  57 

groups  of  merchants  en  the  shore,  while  the  harboi 
is  filled  with  vessels,  and  presents  a  scene  of  great 
commercial  activity.  The  Louvre  also  contains 
one  of  Urban's  pastoral  pictures,  with  a  joyous  party 
of  dancing  villagers  in  the  foreground,  and  numer- 
ous cattle  browsing  on  the  adjacent  meadows. 
Beyond  the  river  is  a  line  of  distant  blue  moun- 
tains. The  other  marine  view  portrays  a  level 
coast,  with  a  ponderous  castle  lifting  its  towers  over 
the  sea,  and  small  vessels  in  motion  beyond.  In 
the  foreground  is  a  mounted  hunting  party,  whose 
chief  personages  are  a  young  lady  and  gentleman. 

One  of  Urban's  chief  interests  was  the  erection 
of  the  Papal  palace  at  Castel  Gandolfo,  near 
Albano,  which  he  chose  as  his  summer  residence. 
He  spent  a  part  of  every  year  there,  and  many 
of  his  bulls  were  issued  thence.  Carlo  Maderno, 
one  of  the  most  famous  architects  of  St.  Peter's, 
made  the  plans  for  the  new  structure,  as  well  as  for 
the  vast  Barberini  Palace  in  Rome.  Castel  Gan- 
dolfo is  still  one  of  the  few  remaining  possessions 
of  the  Pontiffs,  having  been  exterritorialized  by  the 
Italian  government  in  187 1.  l.\  view  of  Urban's 
deep  interest  and  frequent  sojourns  at  this  place,  it 
was  natural   that   he   should   have    commissioned 


58  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Claude  to  execute  a  picture  in  which  it  should  be 
included ;  and  this  noble  work  is  still  preserved  by 
his  descendants  in  the  Barberini  Palace.  The  vie\* 
was  taken  from  the  opposite  shorej^  and  shows  the 
broad  Alban  Lake,  with  the  castle  on  the  bluffs 
beyond,  and  the  Campagna  stretching  away  in  the 
distance.  In  the  foreground  is  a  group  of  Arcadi- 
an peasants,  with  a  youth  who  is  teaching  a  maiden 
to  play  on  a  pipe ;  and  calm-eyed  cattle  are  seen 
grazing  under  the  shade  of  the  adjacent  trees. 

In  1636  Claude  had  reached  the  summit  of  his 
fame,  and  was  constantly  engaged  on  noble  works. 
From  this  year  dates  his  finest  etching,  'The 
Herdsman,'  wherein  a  river  is  seen,  flowing  along 
the  foreground  of  a  lovely  sunset  landscape,  with 
ancient  ruins  and  umbrageous  trees  on  the  left ; 
and  on  the  opposite  side  a  herdsman,  playing  on 
a  cornet,  while  his  cattle  ford  the  stream.  The 
same  date  is  given  to  an  etching  of  the  Campo 
Vaccino,  or  Roman  Forum,  as  seen  from  the  Capi- 
tol, including  the  Arch  of  Septimius  Severus,  the 
ruins  of  the  temples,  the  Coliseum,  and  the  Arch 
of  Titus.  This  was  the  only  etching  which  Claude 
ever  made  from  one  of  his  paintings ;  and  the  pic- 
ture after  which  it  was  etched  is  now  one  of  the 


ETCHINGS.  59 

wonders  of  the  Louvre.  According  to  Claude's 
note  on  the  design  for  this  work,  in  the  Liber  Veri- 
tatis,  it  was  *'  made  for  the  Ambassador  of  France, 
M.  de  Bethune,  Rome." 

Claude's  etchings  are  of  varying  degrees  of 
merit.  Many  of  them  show  an  incomparable  tal- 
ent in  the  skilful  showing-forth  of  aerial  perspec- 
tive, and  in  depicting  the  fresh  tints  and  changing 
effects  of  the  different  hours  of  the  day.  They  are 
among  the  choicest  ornaments  of  collections  of 
engravings ;  and  good  impressions  are  so  rare  that 
they  bring  several  hundred  dollars  each.  The 
designs  are  frequently  carelessly  executed,  but 
abound  in  grace  and  naturalness.  The  figures  of 
men  and  animals  therein  were  executed  by  the 
master  himself,  and  indicate  his  deficiency  in  this 
direction.  Robert-Dumesnil's  catalogue  of  these 
works  included  forty-two  titles,  and  Edouard  Me- 
aume's  contains  forty-four.  The  etchings  were  exe- 
cuted between  1628  and  1662,  although  only  about 
one-half  of  them  are  dated.  Some  of  them  are 
marked  with  titles  by  other  hands ;  but  the  larger 
number  were  inscribed  by  Claude  himself,  in  a  sin- 
gular mingling  of  the  French  and  Italian  languages. 
His  autograph  is  sometimes  written    Gillce,  which 


6o  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

is  similar  to  the  Gillius  by  which  Sandrart  spoke  of 
him. 

Hamerton  analyzes  Claude's  etchings  as  follows  : 
"  His  superiority  as  an  etcher  is  chiefly  a  technical 
superiority :  he  could  lay  a  shade  more  delicately, 
and  with  more  perfect  gradation,  than  any  other 
etcher  of  landscapes ;  he  could  reach  rare  effects 
of  transparency ;  and  there  is  an  ineffable  tender- 
ness in  his  handhng.  .  .  .  Add  to  these  qualities  a 
certain  freedom  and  spirit  in  his  hne,  which  served 
him  well  in  near  masses  of  foliage,  and  a  singularly 
perfect  tonality  in  one  or  two  remarkable  plates, 
and  you  have  the  grounds  of  his  immortality  as  an 
etcher.  He  was  great  in  this  sense,  but  not  great 
in  range  of  intellectual  perception  ;  and  his  genius 
at  the  best  is  but  feminine.  He  has  left  a  few  un- 
important and  weak  etchings ;  but  he  has  also  left 
half  a  dozen  masterpieces,  which  the  severest  criti- 
cism must  respect.  One  merit  of  his  is  not  common 
in  his  modem  successors,  —  the  extreme  modesty 
of  his  style.  No  etcher  was  ever  less  anxious  to 
produce  an  impression  of  cleverness  ;  and  his  only 
object  seems  to  have  been  the  simple  rendering  of 
his  ideas.  He  sincerely  loved  beauty  and  grace, 
and  tried  innocently  for  tliese,  until  his  touch  be- 


LIBER    VERITATIS.  6l 

came  gentler  than  that  of  a  child's  fingers,  yet  so 
accomplished  that  the  stubborn  copper  was  caressed, 
as  it  were,  into  a  willing  obedience." 

So  many  men  of  rank  and  wealth  were  compet- 
ing for  the  pictures  of  Claude,  that  their  prices  were 
soon  raised  to  a  point  where  they  were  accessible 
only  to  great  fortunes.  Such  an  unexampled  suc- 
cess was  taken  advantage  of  by  numerous  unprinci- 
pled artists  of  inferior  grade,  who  boldly  counter- 
feited his  manner,  and  forged  the  magic  Claudius 
Gellee  on  cold  copies,  and  on  imitations  of  his 
works  composed  from  the  originals,  of  which  they 
had  caught  glimpses  in  his  studio.  The  latter  were 
executed  by  persons  who  pretended  to  be  his 
friends,  and  who  often  watched  him  while  painting, 
and  were  thus  enabled  to  borrow  his  peculiar  tech- 
nic,  as  well  as  the  compositions.  The  reputation  of 
the  master  was  injured  by  the  many  inferior  works 
which  were  extant  under  his  name ;  and  he  was 
also  frequently  annoyed  by  persons  who  possessed 
spurious  pictures,  and  sent  them  to  him  to  be  iden- 
tified. 

The  Liber  Veritatis  was  the  remedy  which  the 
master  applied  to  this  evil.  It  consisted  of  a  series 
of  drawings  of  all  the  pictures  that  he  painted  after- 


62  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

wards,  on  which  he  inscribed  the  names  of  the  per- 
sons for  whom  they  were  executed,  anc  the  places 
to  which  they  were  sent.  Then,  when  any  picture 
was  brought  to  the  studio  to  be  identified  by  him, 
he  answered,  "  No  picture  goes  out  of  my  house 
without  having  been  entirely  copied  in  this  book. 
Be  you  the  judge  of  your  own  doubt ;  consult  this 
book,  and  see  if  you  recognize  your  picture  there." 
This  collection  included  two  hundred  designs  of 
surprising  beauty,  done  in  bistre,  and  occasionally 
touched  up  with  white.  After  Claude's  death  they 
were  preserved  for  a  long  time  by  his  heirs,  from 
whom  they  were  acquired  by  a  Frenchman,  who 
took  them  to  Paris,  and  offered  the  whole  collection 
to  the  King.  He  declined  to  purchase  the  work, 
which  was  afterwards  secured  by  the  Duke  of  Dev- 
onshire, and  is  now  carefully  kept  at  the  ducal  pal- 
ace of  Chatsworth.  In  1777  John  Boydell,  "  the 
father  of  engraving  in  England,"  published  a  large 
edition  of  the  Liber  Veritatis,  the  plates  for  which 
were  executed  in  mezzotint  by  Richard  Earlom 
after  the  Chatsworth  drawings.  It  was  issued  in 
three  volumes,  at  the  price  of  ^31  \os.  a  set,  and 
met  with  an  immense  sale.  The  third  volume  con- 
tains a  hundred  studies  by  Claude,  most  of  which 
were  not  reproduced  in  paintings. 


LIBER    VERITATIS.  63 

The  Count  Leon  de  Laborde  said  of  the  Liber 
Veritatis,  "These  two  hundred  designs  are  two 
hundred  pictures.  The  paper  margins  ars  forgot- 
ten, and  the  form  of  the  book ;  the  spectator  pen- 
etrates into  remote  distances,  and  feels  himself  face 
to  face  with  nature.  In  the  hand  of  the  artist,  the 
instrument  is  nothing :  crayon  or  pencil,  paper  or 
canvas,  what  matters  it  ?  the  soul  guides  the  hand. 
In  the  collection  of  Claude,  there  is  no  design  that 
resembles  its  neighbor  in  the  manner  of  rendering 
thought :  it  is  the  crayon  or  the  pen,  Indian  ink  or 
sepia,  touches  of  white  for  the  lights,  and  paper  of 
various  colors  for  the  basis ;  but  nothing  which 
breathes  of  handicraft,  or  manner,  or  special  pro- 
cesses —  or  rather  a  different  manner  and  processes 
for  each  design,  according  as  the  twilight  of  morn- 
ing or  evenmg,  the  sunrise  and  sunset,  and  each 
hour  of  the  day  illuminates  the  landscape,  under 
the  influence  of  the  dispositions  of  his  soul." 

Laborde  has  closely  examined  and  described  the 
original  Liber  Veritatis,  and  concludes  that  it  was 
commenced  in  the  year  1650.  But  Meaume  thinks 
that  its  inception  dates  from  as  early  a  date  as  1636, 
showing  that  its  tenth  design  is  the  same  as  the 
'  Campo  Vaccine  '  landscape  and  etching  of  about 


64  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

that  date,  and  it  is  incontestable  that  the  painting 
must  have  been  done  first. 

Baldinucci  states  that  the  idea  of  the  Liber  Ver- 
itatis  came  to  the  artist  while  he  was  painting  four 
pictures  which  had  been  ordered  by  the  King  of 
Spain.  He  probably  feared  that  the  behef  which 
was  naturally  arising  among  the  Roman  connois- 
seurs, that  he  frequently  repeated  the  same  compo- 
sition, would  also  attach  itself  to  his  new  royal  com- 
mission, and  impair  its  value.  The  Latin  name 
above  given  was  probably  not  knovvm  to  Claude 
himself,  but  its  Italian  equivalent  was  used  by  Bal- 
dinucci. The  designs  are  not  classed  chronologi- 
cally, and  only  about  one-third  are  dated,  the  ear- 
liest being  of  1648,  and  the  latest  of  1680.  About 
fifty  are  without  names ;  and  others  have  only  the 
name  of  the  city  to  which  the  picture  was  sent. 

Modem  French  critics  repudiate  the  statement 
of  Baldinucci,  and  the  general  belief  dependent 
thereon,  that  the  Liber  Veritatis  was  made  for  the 
purpose  of  identifying  the  master's  own  paintings 
and  their  dispositions.  If  they  had  all  been  dated, 
and  furnished  with  the  names  of  their  owners,  tlie 
theory  would  have  been  tenable ;  but  many  are 
unnamed,  a  majority  are  undated,  and  others  have 


LIBER    VERITATIS.  65 

no  purchasers'  names  attached.  There  are  also 
several  paintings,  incontestably  Claude's,  and  of  his 
best  time,  whose  designs  do  not  appear  in  the  book. 
Furthermore,  this  plan  gave  no  security  against 
counterfeited  pictures,  which  were  necessarily  ex- 
actly similar  to  the  designs.  It  seems  unlikely, 
then,  that  for  over  forty  years  the  great  painter  was 
constrained  to  reproduce  his  designs  in  the  sole 
interest  of  giving  proofs  of  authenticity  to  suspi- 
cious amateurs,  especially  since  he  failed  to  com- 
plete the  records  by  adding  in  all  cases  the  names 
of  the  purchasers,  and  also  since  he  neglected  to 
insert  all  his  designs. 

Whatever  doubts  may  be  suggested  as  to  the 
purpose  for  which  these  designs  were  made,  there 
can  be  none  as  to  the  prodigious  merit  of  the  works 
themselves. 


66  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Claude's  Life  not  understood.  —  His  Household.  —  The  Roman 
Fireworks. — Cardinal  Giorio.  —  Prince  Pamfili. — The  Bouil- 
lon-Claudes. —  Pictures  for  the  King  of  Spain. 

Claude  resolved  never  to  marry.  Why  he  thus 
restricted  himself,  and  declined  those  joys  of 
home  which  his  tender  and  affectionate  spirit  was 
so  capable  of  enjoying,  we  cannot  tell :  there  is 
not  even  a  conjecture  to  build  upon.  Herein  is 
another  of  the  deep  mysteries  which  enshroud  the 
life  of  the  great  artist,  and  make  it  appear  to  have 
been  so  absolutely  devoid  of  incident.  Unlike  his 
fellow-artists,  he  is  not  heard  of  either  in  the  con- 
temporary politics,  the  intrigues  of  the  rival  schools 
of  paintings,  or  the  polished  society  of  Rome.  He 
does  not  appear  in  the  Academy  of  St.  Luke,  nor 
in  the  proceedings  of  the  French  Academy  of  Art. 
Felibien,  a  contemporary  biographer,  writes  volu- 
minously of  all  the  artists  then  in  the  city,  includ- 
ing both  Claude's  teachers  and  his  pupils,  but 
absolutely  omits  all  account  of  the  master  himself. 


SILENT  HISTORY.  67 

De  Piles  devotes  but  two  short  pages  to  him,  while 
minutely  describing  scores  of  painters  who  are  now 
altogether  forgotten.  Amidei's  "  Lives  of  the  Cele- 
brated Painters  of  the  Seventeenth  Century"  (pub- 
lished at  Rome  in  1731)  actually  omits  to  mention 
his  name.  In  the  biopaphies  of  Albano,  Domeni- 
chino,  Guido,  and  other  eminent  artists  who  Uved 
in  the  city  at  this  time,  the  same  silence  is  observed. 
Even  Baldinucci  and  Sandrart  find  nothing  to  re- 
cord in  his  life  after  1630,  except  an  imperfect  list 
of  his  patrons  and  works.  Over  more  than  half  a 
century  the  mantle  of  silence  is  thrown ;  and  we 
see  only  the  painter,  and  never  the  man. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  Claude  secluded 
himself  from  the  society  of  the  city  and  of  his 
brother-professionals,  and  gave  himself  up  entirely 
to  the  intense,  prolonged,  and  enthusiastic  study  of 
nature  and  of  art.  His  frequent  and  protracted 
journeys  must  have  taken  much  time,  since,  if  the 
titles  of  his  pictures  are  correctly  given,  these  travels 
reached  from  Genoa  to  Messina;  while  the  tours 
throughout  the  Papal  States  were  of  almost  month- 
ly occurrence.  Out-door  hfe  was  his  joy,  as  well 
as  his  duty,  and  removed  him  from  the  cabals  of 
the  city  and  the  rivalries  of  the  artists. 


68  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Probably  Claude  also  devoted  much  time  to 
study,  and  thus  repaired  the  defects  of  his  early 
education.  Allston  says  that  his  soul  was  not  bom 
until  he  was  forty  years  old ;  but,  if  this  was  true, 
it  arose  in  a  moment,  full-grown,  and  strong  in  'he 
possession  of  maturity.  The  pictures  of  the  mas- 
ter of  Lorraine  exhibit  evidences  that  their  author 
was  thoroughly  conversant  with  history,  mytholog}', 
and  the  Scriptural  records,  since  all  the  characters 
portrayed  in  the  foregrounds  are  correctly  repre- 
sented as  to  costume,  action,  and  aspect.  This 
accuracy  is  indeed  remarkable,  considering  the 
wide  range  of  subjects  which  his  pencil  covered, 
and  their  great  diversity.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  he  was  continually  assisted  by  the  advice  of 
learned  friends  with  regard  to  his  figures  and 
groups ;  but  there  are  strong  and  sufficient  reasons 
for  rejecting  this  unsupported  theory. 

But  when  all  is  said  that  can  be  imagined,  and 
whea  all  existing  hypotheses  on  the  subject  have 
been  stated,  there  still  remains  matter  for  deep 
wonderment  in  the  seclusion  of  Claude  from  the 
life  cf  Rome,  and  the  silence  of  his  contempora- 
ries as  to  his  manner  of  life  and  action. 

About  the  year  1636,  Claude  sent  to  Lorraine  for 


•       THE  HOUSEHOLD.  69 

one  of  his  cousins  of  the  Gellee  family,  desiring 
that  he  should  come  to  Rome  and  take  charge  of 
his  household.  So  the  rustic  of  the  Moselle  valley 
passea  down  into  Italy,  and  assumed  the  control  of 
the  artist's  domestic  establishment.  He  was  a  most 
efficient  aid,  and  not  only  administered  Claude's 
fortune  and  estate,  but  also  acted  as  major-domo  of 
the  household,  and  even  purchased  the  colors  and 
implements  which  were  used  in  the  studio.  The 
master  was  thus  left  absolutely  free  to  follow  his 
own  bent,  without  the  trials  of  these  material  cares. 
The  immigrating  kinsman  became  a  Roman  resi- 
dent Avith  great  relish,  and  brought  up  a  goodly 
family  withal.  His  sons  were  much  beloved  by  the 
master,  and  afterwards  became  his  heirs.  It  is 
most  probable  that  Joseph  Gelle'e,  the  young  stu- 
dent in  theology  from  whom  Baldinucci  gathered 
so  many  facts,  was  one  of  these  youths. 

In  1634  Sebastian  Bourdon,  afterwards  so  famous 
as  a  landscape-painter,  but  then  only  a  lad  of 
eighteen,  came  to  Rome,  and  frequently  visited 
Claude.  He  copied  one  of  the  great  master's 
paintings  from  memory,  and  succeeded  so  admira- 
bly that  the  connoisseurs  who  saw  it  at  the  fair  were 
amazed,  and  Claude  himself  was  filled  with  aston- 


70  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

ishment.  Another  new-comer  then  at  Rome  at  this 
time  was  Sakator  Rosa,  then  a  boy  of  twenty,  who 
had  walked  up  from  Naples  over  the  Appian  Way. 

Another  famous  artist  who  was  closely  allied  with 
Claude  was  Gaspard  Dughet,  who  afterwards  adopted 
the  name  o^  his  brother-in-law,  Poussin.  His  origi- 
nal drj'  manner  was  corrected  and  improved  by  the 
study  of  the  master's  style,  and  he  became  more 
skilful  in  depicting  nature  than  was  his  renowned 
kinsman.  The  degree  of  Gaspard's  connection 
with  Claude  is  uncertain,  and  it  is  not  known  that 
he  ever  met  him  personally.  The  contemplation  of 
his  noble  works  then  in  the  Roman  palaces,  glowing 
with  all  the  freshness  and  brilliancy  of  their  recent 
execution,  might  have  been  sufficient  to  influence 
the  manner  of  the  young  painter.  His  blending  of 
romantic  architecture,  idyllic  groups,  and  stately 
groves,  before  wide  expanses  of  open  country,  re- 
flected the  manner  of  Lorraine,  and  oftentimes 
nearly  attained  its  mellow  and  agreeable  tone. 

One  of  the  master's  patrons  at  this  time  was 
Nicholas  Larcher,  an  eminent  surgeon  of  the  city, 
who  was  also  a  friend  of  Nicholas  Poussin.  'The 
Bagpiper  '  was  the  subject  of  his  picture  by  Claude, 
a  sequestered  scene  with  a  beautiful  river-side  dell, 


THE  BARBERINI.  7^ 

down  which  a  peasant  is  driving  cattle.  On  one 
side  is  a  shepherd  who  is  playing  on  a  bagpipe, 
while  he  watches  a  flock  of  goats.  Another  of 
Claude's  supporters  was  Passari,  probably  the  same 
who  was  Poussin's  intimate  friend  and  biographer, 
an  artist  himself,  and  a  graduate  of  Domenichino's 
studio.  One  of  the  best  works  which  he  received 
from  the  master's  easel  was  a  rich  pastoral  scene 
near  Tivoli,  with  the  exquisite  natural  scenery  of 
that  region  charmingly  portrayed.  Another  was  a 
sublime  twilight  effect  overlooking  a  vast  area  of 
hilly  country  from  the  summit  of  an  eminence. 

The  'St.  Ursula'  was  executed  for  Cardinal 
Barberini,  but  it  is  uncertain  which,  for  there  were 
three  cardinals  of  that  name,  —  Francesco  and  An- 
tonio, Urban's  nephews,  and  Antonio  his  brother. 
At  any  rate,  Claude  was  fortunate  in  receiving  the 
patronage  of  a  family  which  was  then  all-powerful 
in  Rome,  and  whose  members  were  to  a  maii  o<-.-l*- 
pying  the  highest  attainable  positions.  Cardinal 
Antonio  Barberini  also  acquired  the  large  picture 
of  '  St.  George  Slaying  the  Dragon,'  a  spirited  work 
which  was  etched  by  Barriere  in  1668. 

The  great  festivities  with  which  Rome  hailed  the 
election  of  her  king  occurred  in  1637,  when  Fer- 


72  CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 

dinand  III.  of  Austria  was  advanced  to  that  posi- 
tion. The  chief  feature  of  this  display  was  a  long 
succession  of  brilliant  and  ingenious  fireworks,  dis- 
played before  the  palace  of  the  Spanish  Legation, 
abounding  in  more  or  less  obscure  symboHsms,  and 
blazoning  forth  the  most  pedantic  of  designs.  The 
Piazza  di  Spagna  and  its  vicinity  contained  forests 
of  scaffoldings  and  frame-works,  on  which  these 
remarkable  pyrotechnics  were  arranged.  When 
their  time  came,  the  Roman  nights  were  lighted  up 
by  the  broad  glare,  amid  which  the  King  of  the 
Romans  was  represented  in  lines  of  flaming  light, 
with  numerous  set  pieces,  in  juxtaposition  with 
exploding  mediaeval  towers,  classic  gods,  and  alle- 
gorical figures,  and  the  omnipresent  double-headed 
eagle  of  Austria. 

From  his  house  high  above  the  Piazza  di  Spa- 
gna, Claude  watched  the  construction  of  the  fire- 
works with  great  interest.  After  the  festivities  were 
over  he  etched  eleven  illustrations  of  the  set  pieces, 
for  a  book  of  descriptions  thereof,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  Rome,  in  the  Spanish  and  Italian  lan- 
guages. These  engravings  have  historical  value 
now,  on  account  of  the  exactitude  with  which  the 
artist  drew  Jhe  buildings  and  streets  about  the  fire- . 


JOHN  MILTON.  73 

works,  —  the  College  of  the  Propaganda  Fidei,  the 
palace  of  the  Spanish  Embassy,  the  Via  de'  Due 
Macelli,  and  others.  The  author  of  the  letter-press 
was  Bermudez  de  Castro ;  and  the  patron  of  the 
work  was  the  Spanish  Envoy,  the  Marquis  of  Cas- 
telrodrigo. 

In  the  autumn  of  1638  Rome  received  a  new 
visitor,  an  immortal  name,  but  in  those  days  less 
noticed  than  the  least  of  the  Monsignori  of  the 
Vatican.  It  was  John  Milton,  in  his  thirtieth  year, 
and  already  the  author  of  "L'Allegro,"  "II  Pensero- 
so,"  "  Comus,"  and  "  Lycidas."  He  remained  two 
months  in  the  city,  visiting  the  monuments  of  an- 
tiquity, and  mingling  freely  with  the  academicians. 
Probably  he  met  Claude  at  this  time,  since  he 
dwelt  close  by  him,  at  the  Four  Fountains,  and  in 
the  palace  of  his  patron,  Cardinal  Barberini.  At 
this  time  the  population  of  Rome  was  about  120,- 
000  souls,  including  fifty  noble  families  of  a  stand- 
ing of  three  centuries  or  over,  and  fifty  of  more 
recent  origin.  On  one  side  were  the  families  of 
the  Orsini,  Borghesi,  Aldobrandini,  Ludovisi,  and 
Giustiniani ;  and  opposed  to  them  was  the  tremen- 
dous power  of  the  houses  of  the  Colonna  and  Bar- 
berini. 


74  CLUADE  LORRAINE. 

Cardinal  Giorio  was  for  many  years  one  of 
Claude's  most  appreciative  patrons  and  friends. 
He  was  originally  a  schoolmaster  in  the  sequestered 
Apennine  hamlet  of  Camerino,  and  came  to  Rome 
on  foot,  so  limited  were  his  means.  He  took 
orders,  and  soon  had  the  good  luck  to  be  noticed 
by  the  Barberini  family,  through  whose  influence 
he  rose  rapidly  from  the  ecclesiastical  ranks,  and 
was  made  a  cardinal  in  1643.  Not  long  afterwards 
Pope  Urban  died ;  and  Giorio,  mourning  his  loss 
and  deploring  the  woes  of  the  queenly  city,  retired 
from  the  agitations  of  the  Roman  Court,  and  de- 
voted his  time  to  study  and  to  the  adornment  of 
his  villa  on  the  Janiculan  Hill.  During  the  next 
few  years  the  pious  and  affable  prelate  made  fre- 
quent visits  to  Claude's  studio,  and  secured  no  less 
than  seven  recorded  pictures  from  him,  besides 
others  which  were  probably  included  among  the 
great  number  in  the  Liber  Veritatis  concerning 
whose  disposition  no  mention  is  made.  He  died  in 
1652,  and  hence  it  is  certain  that  his  pictures  were 
executed  during  a  period  of  about  eight  years. 

In  1644  Claude  delivered  to  him  a  fine  picture 
(now  in  the  British  National  Gallery),  in  which  an 
Italian  seaport  is  seen  during  the  hot  flush  of  a 


CARDINAL    GIORIO.  75 

summer  afternoon.  A  line  of  palaces  rises  on  the 
right,  stretching  away  to  the  harbor-mouth,  with 
stately  towers  and  arches.  Antique  galleys  are  rid- 
ing at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  at  whose  entrance  is  a 
massive  Roman  tower.  Another  sunset  scene  at  a 
busy  and  splendid  sea-city  was  painted  for  the 
same  prelate,  and  is  now  at  Luton  House,  the 
home  ot  the  Marquis  of  Bute.  'St.  Peter  Deliv- 
ered from  Prison  by  an  Angel,'  was  also  one  or 
Giorio's  commissions;  and  still  another  was  a 
small  landscape,  with  droves  of  cattle,  camels, 
and  goats  crossing  a  rustic  bridge,  and  two  herds- 
men in  conversation  in  the  foreground. 

The  two  finest  pictures  which  this  art-loving  prel- 
ate ordered  are  now  in  the  Louvre.  '  The  Landing 
of  Cleopatra  '  is  a  sunset  view,  with  the  magnificent 
galleys  of  the  Egyptian  Queen  moored  in  a  noble 
seaport,  whose  temples  and  groves  line  the  shore. 
The  Queen  and  her  suite  have  just  landed  from 
sumptuous  barges,  and  are  advancing  up  the  espla- 
nade ;  and  the  sailors  are  putting  the  royal  service 
of  gold  and  silver  into  a  boat  in  the  harbor  beyond. 
'  Samuel  Anointing  David  as  King  of  Israel '  is  a 
briUiant  episode  on  one  side  of  a  hilly  landscape, 
with  a  distant  bridge  and  a  pile  of  buildings.     The 


76  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

main  action  takes  place  under  the  portico  of  a 
Doric  temple,  where  the  venerable  prophet  is  pour- 
ing the  sacred  oil  on  the  hero's  head,  with  the 
family  of  Jesse  and  a  group  of  priests  adjacent. 
Giorio  also  received  a  fine  picture  of  '  The  Repose 
of  the  Holy  Family '  in  a  rich  rural  landscape. 

Claude  was  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  abode 
amidst  continual  excitements  and  alarms,  apparently 
unaffected  and  unmoved.  At  this  time  Erythrseus 
thus  wrote  in  his  Eplst.  ad  Tyrrhenum :  "  The 
state  is  without  law,  the  commonwealth  without 
dignity.  The  number  of  armed  men  to  be  seen  in 
the  city  is  greater  than  I  remember  to  have  seen 
elsewhere.  There  is  no  house  of  any  wealtli  but  is 
furnished  with  a  garrison  of  many  soldiers ;  so  that, 
if  all  were  gathered  into  one  body,  a  large  army 
might  be  formed  from  them.  The  utmost  impunity 
prevails  in  the  city  for  these  armed  bodies,  —  the 
utmost  license.  Men  are  assassinated  all  over  the 
city ;  and  nothing  is  more  commonly  to  be  heard 
than  that  one  or  another  man  of  note  has  been 
slain." 

In  1644  Giambattista  Pamfili  was  elected  Pope, 
and  assumed  the  title  of  Innocent  X.,  restoring  the 
Spanish  power  at  Rome,  and  ruining  the  Barberini 


PRINCE  PAMFILI.  77 

cardinals.  The  Donna  Olympia  Maidalchina  was 
the  head  of  the  new  Papal  court,  and  ruled  the 
mild  old  Pontiff  with  an  absolute  dictation.  But 
Innocent  was  left  free,  at  least,  to  prosecute  his 
designs  as  an  assiduous  builder,  adorning  the  Capi- 
toline  Hill,  the  Lateran,  the  Piazza  Navona,  and 
the  Pamfili  Palace,  within  the  walls,  and  fhe  beau- 
tiful villa  on  the  Janiculan  Hill.  Olympia's  son. 
Prince  Camillo  Pamfili,  had  originally  entered  the 
Church,  and  assumed  the  position  of  Cardinal 
Nephew ;  but  soon  afterwards  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  contract  a  marriage  with  the  Princess 
Aldobrandini,  one  of  the  richest  and  most  intel- 
lectual ladies  of  Rome,  and  repudiated  the  scarlet 
robes  in  favor  of  the  new  alliance.  Camillo  de- 
voted his  leisure  hours  to  the  adornment  of  the 
new  Villa  Pamfili,  enriching  it  with  gardens  and 
terraces  designed  by  Algardi,  and  paintings  by 
Claude  Lorraine.  Among  the  latter  were  five 
whose  names  have  been  transmitted  to  our  day  : 
'  Mercury  Stealing  the  Plerds  of  Admetus,'  '  Priests 
Leading  a  Sacrificial  Bull,'  and  '  The  Nuptials  of 
Isaac  and  Rebecca,'  —  all  of  which  are  still  in  the 
Doria  (formerly  Pamfili)  Palace,  —  and  '  A  Herds- 
man '  and  '  Mount  Parnassus.'     In  the  first-named. 


78  CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 

the  chief  personage  is  Apollo,  enraptured  by  his 
own  music,  with  the  wily  Mercury  driving  off  the 
cattle  of  the  Thessalian  King,  while  a  broad  ex- 
panse of  country  opens  beyond,  banded  by  a  river. 
The  next  is  one  of  Claude's  noblest  works,  replete 
in  beauty  and  variety,  and  flooded  with  fresh  and 
sparkling  air.  In  the  foreground  a  group  of  priests 
and  priestesses  is  seen,  leading  the  sacrificial  vic- 
tim towards  the  temple  of  Apollo,  whose  spacious 
dome  is  upheld  by  double  rows  of  columns.  Be- 
yond these  is  a  vast  expanse  of  country,  dotted  with 
groves  and  buildings,  intersected  by  rivers,  and 
bounded  by  the  broad  sea.  '  Mount  Parnassus ' 
was  probably  painted  at  an  earlier  date,  and  on  the 
order  of  Innocent  X.,  while  he  was  yet  a  cardinal. 
Here  Apollo  and  the  Muses  appear  on  the  sacred 
hill,  near  a  temple  and  cascade,  with  deer  browsing 
and  swans  swimming  about  them,  and  a  river-god 
reclining  on  a  vase, 

*  Cephalus  and  Procris  '  was  painted  for  a  Paris- 
ian gentleman  in  1645,  ^"^  ^^  ^°^^  ^"^  '^'^^  British 
National  Gallery.  It  is  an  admirable  and  delightful 
scene,  with  the  jealous  and  disguised  Cephalus  offer- 
ing presents  to  his  unhappy  wife,  while  in  the  outer 
country  a  herdsman  appears,  reclining  near  his  cat- 


'JUDGMENT  OF  PARIS.'  79 

tie  by  the  margin  of  a  silvery  stream.  The  com- 
panion of  this  picture  is  also  in  the  National  Gal 
lery,  and  shows  the  nymph  Procris  dying,  while  her 
husband  mourns  over  her,  and  bewails  the  ruin 
caused  by  his  fatal  arrow. 

In  1645  a  certain  Mr.  Fontany  secured  two  fine 
paintings  from  Claude's  studio.  'The  Judgment 
of  Paris '  occurs  in  a  woody  and  secluded  nook ; 
and  the  favored  young  shepherd  is  extending  the 
apple  towards  Venus,  with  Minerva  and  Juno  close 
by,  and  groups  of  sheep  and  goats  browsing  along 
the  meadow.  On  the  left  is  a  wide  expanse  of 
undulating  country,  intersected  by  a  Tiber-like 
stream.  Claude  repeated  this  subject  several  times, 
with  different  arrangements.  The  other  Fontany 
picture  was  a  delightful  pastoral  scene,  in  a  clear 
morning  light,  with  a  young  herdsman  teaching  a 
shepherdess  to  play  on  the  pipe,  while  their  oxen 
and  goats  are  grazing  on  the  adjacent  meadow. 
Beyond  are  castle-crowned  cliffs,  a  rivulet  purling 
under  a  rustic  bridge,  a  wide  sweep  of  plains,  and 
a.  town  at  the  base  of  the  distant  hills.  The  pur- 
chaser of  these  works  was  perhaps  the  celebrated 
Neapohtan  astronomer,  Francesco  Fontana,  who 
lived  from  1580  to  1656. 


8o  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

"The  Embarkation  of  St.  Ursula"  was  painted 
in  1 646,  and  is  now  in  the  British  National  Gallery. 
In  the  fresh  air  of  a  summer  morning,  with  the  long 
cool  shadows  still  lying  over  the  bay,  and  the  vapory 
haze  slowly  dispersing,  a  train  of  palm-bearing  maid- 
ens is  descending  from  a  superb  palace  towards 
the  vessels  at  the  water's  edge.  In  its  admirable 
perspective,  rich  composition,  sumptuous  architec- 
ture, fascinating  color,  and  delicate  gradation  of 
tints,  this  is  one  of  Claude's  noblest  masterpieces. 
Another  contemporary  work,  now  in  the  Louvre, 
and  valued  at  ^20,000,  depicts  an  ancient  seaport 
at  sunset,  fortified  by  towers  at  the  entrance,  and 
containing  several  vessels  and  boats,  with  a  group 
of  classic  warriors. 

In  1647  Claude  painted  a  broad  and  sunny  pas- 
toral scene  for  Signor  Angilino,  illustrating  the  idyl- 
lic life  of  the  shepherds  on  the  edge  of  the  Latian 
hills.  Among  these  lovely  glades  it  was  his  delight 
to  wander,  contemplating  the  beauties  of  primitive 
life  with  the  unchanged  descendants  of  the  old 
Etruscan  race,  and  observing  the  same  placid  and 
peaceful  rural  routine  which  had  inspired  the  author 
of  the  Georgics. 

Monsignore  de  Portase,  one  of  the  magnates  of 


THE  BOUILLON-CLAUDES.  8 1 

the  Roman  Curia,  received  at  this  time  a  morning 
view  in  maritime  Latium,  with  cattle  and  herders  in 
the  foreground,  and  a  castellated  town  beyond,  — 
perhaps  the  cathedral-city  of  Porto,  desolated  and 
solitary,  or  Porto  d'Anzio,  which  has  been  a  sum- 
mer-resort for  fifteen  centuries.  Monsignore  de 
Remasso  also  secured  an  inland  scene  on  the  Cam- 
pagna,  with  a  meditative  herdsman  lazily  watching 
his  fat  cattle. 

Claude's  chief  patron  during  this  period  was  De 
la  Tour  d'Auvergne,  Duke  of  Bouillon  and  Prince 
of  Sedan,  the  son  of  the  Princess  of  Orange,  and 
a  veteran  soldier  of  the  French,  Spanish,  and  Dutch 
armies.  He  was  one  of  the  bitterest  and  most  for- 
midable enemies  of  Cardinal  Richelieu,  and  at  a 
later  day  was  proscribed  during  the  wars  of  the 
Fronde.  Coming  to  Rome  in  1644,  he  abjured 
Calvinism,  and  was  appointed  commander  of  the 
Papal  forces,  a  position  which  he  held  until  his 
return  to  France  in  1649. 

In  1648  Claude  painted  for  him  the  two  famous 
pictures  which  are  now  in  the  British  National 
Gallery,  and  have  borne  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
recent  controversy  as  to  the  degree  of  their  author's 
genius.     Until  within  thirty  years  Claude's  reputa- 


82  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

tion  as  a  landscape-painter  was  regarded  as  almost 
sacred  and  altogether  unassailable,  among  the  Brit- 
ish aristocracy,  who  held  most  of  his  works ;  and 
the  possession  of  one  of  his  pictures  conferred 
high  distinction  on  many  a  sequestered  country- 
house  or  manorial  hall.  But  Turner  at  last  boldly 
contested  Claude's  superiority,  and  aspersed  his 
genius  ;  and  made  his  hot  wrath  posthumous  by  be- 
queathing two  of  the  finest  of  his  own  landscapes  to 
the  National  Gallery,  on  the  express  condition  that 
they  should  be  hung  between  these  two  great  com- 
positions of  Claude's.  Ruskin,  in  his  "  Modern 
Painters,"  has  made  a  fierce  attack  on  the  '  Isaac 
and  Rebecca,'  first  proclaiming  it  to  be  a  villanous 
and  unworthy  copy,  and  then  arraigning  Claude 
in  this  work  for  the  total  want  of  magnitude  and 
aerial  distance  in  his  mountains. 

'  The  Embarkation  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba '  was 
one  of  these  celebrated  '  Bouillon-Claudes,'  which 
were  long  kept  at  the  Duke's  palace  on  the  Quay 
Malaquais  at  Paris.  They  were  acquired  in  1804 
by  Erard,  who  sold  them  to  Mr.  Angerstein  of 
London  for  $40  000 ;  and  they  afterwards  passed 
into  the  British  National  Gallery.  'The  Queen 
of  Sheba '  is   the  most  beautiful  of  Claude's  ma- 


THE  BOUILLON-CLAUDES.  83 

rines,  enriched  with  a  wonderful  diffusion  of  Hght 
and  heat,  and  showing  the  thin  morning  mists 
fading  out  over  the  undulating  waves.  The  roval 
retinue  is  descending  the  steps  of  a  stately  Ionic 
palace,  towards  the  boats ;  and  numerous  vessels 
and  small  craft  are  seen  in  the  harbor.  Splendid 
palaces,  fortified  towers,  and  umbrageous  groves 
diversify  the  brilliant  scene.  '  The  Marriage  Festi- 
val of  Isaac  and  Rebecca  '  is  the  second  of  the 
Bouillon-Claudes,  and  is  rich  in  variety  of  detail, 
chasteness  of  design,  and  breadth  of  effect.  In 
the  foreground  is  a  group  of  musicians,  with  a 
youth  and  maiden  dancing  on  the  greensward,  while 
a  translucent  river  flows  beyond,  crossed  by  a 
bridge  with  seven  _  arches.  On  the  left  is  a  round- 
towered  water-mill,  among  the  shadowy  groves; 
and  the  distance  is  closed  by  a  blue  mountainous 
range.  The  same  subject  was  repeated  by  the  artist 
for  Prince  Pamfili,  in  a  picture  which  is  now  in 
the  Doria  Palace  at  Rome,  where  it  is  called  // 
Molino  (The  Mill).  This  noble  composition  is 
distinguished  for  its  truth  and  power,  limpidity 
and  transparence,  and  is  superior  to  the  finest 
works  of  Ruysdael  and  Hobbema. 

During  the  same  year  Claude  painted  a  rich  pas- 


84  CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 

toral  scene,  with  a  placid  river,  picturesque  bridges, 
ruins,  groves,  and  distant  hills,  and  in  the  fore- 
ground a  herdsman  playing  on  a  pipe,  and  a  woman 
compelling  a  dog  to  dance.  This  work  was  exe- 
cuted on  an  order  from  a  gentleman  of  Paris,  and 
afterwards  passed  into  England. 

After  Claude  had  attained  to  the  dignity  of  a 
court-favorite,  the  pencil  of  the  artist  was  kept  in 
busy  activity  on  many  august  commissions.  Among 
the  eminent  patrons  of  the  master  was  the  King  of 
Spain,  who  ordered  him  to  paint  eight  landscapes, 
—  four  from  New-Testament  scenes,  and  four  from 
the  Old  Testament.  It  is  probable  that  the  King 
had  been  apprised  of  the  new  artistic  sensation  by 
his  envoy,  the  Marquis  of  Castelrodrigo.  The  re- 
cent catalogue  of  the  Madrid  Museum  states  that 
the  figures  in  these  works  were  painted  by  Gugliel- 
mo  Cortese  and  Filippo  Lauri ;  and,  if  this  was  the 
case,  they  must  have  been  executed  towards  1650, 
for  neither  of  these  artists  was  old  enough  for  such 
work  before  that  time.  Now  it  is  well  known  that 
Philip  IV.  of  Spain  sent  his  court-painter,  Velaz- 
quez, to  Italy,  in  the  year  164S,  to  procure  pictures 
and  statuary  for  the  royal  collections,  and  that  the 
gieat  Andalusian  artist  dwelt  for  some  time  in  Rome, 


A  SPANISH  commission:  85 

executing  this  commission,  —  so  long,  indeed,  as 
to  have  painted  several  portraits,  including  one  of 
Pope  Innocent  X.,  "  the  ugliest  of  the  successors 
of  St.  Peter."  He  remained,  in  fact,  until  1651; 
and  it  was  during  this  time,  probably,  that  he  su- 
perintended the  large  commission  which  Claude 
was  executing  for  his  royal  master. 

One  of  the  pictures-  for  the  King  of  Spain  was 
'The  Temptation  of  St.  Anthony,'  in  which  the 
prapng  saint  meets  his  demoniac  assailants  near  a 
ruined  temple,  in  the  foreground  of  a  broad  moon- 
light landscape.  Another  is  '  The  Finding  of  Mo- 
ses,' with  a  river-bank  and  a  walled  city,  mountains 
towering  beyond,  and  a  young  shepherd  asleep  in 
the  foreground.  The  action  is  found  in  a  group  of 
eight  women,  with  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  gath- 
ered around  the  new-found  babe.  The  companion 
to  this  composition  is  '  The  Burial  of  Santa  Sabina,' 
wherein  four  women  are  seen,  depositing  the  body 
in  its  last  resting-place,  with  parts  of  ruined  temples 
near  them,  and  fragments  of  sculptures  lying  on  the 
ground.  The  scene  is  evidently  laid  in  the  vicinuy 
of  Ronj.e,  that  great  repository  of  the  shattered 
glories  of  the  past.  '  Tobias  and  the  Angel '  is  the 
subject  of  another  of  the  Spanish  pictures,  the  in- 


86  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

cident  o^  the  legend  being  only  an  episode  in  an 
open  country  prospect,  with  a  placid  river  flowing 
through  the  centre,  and  crossed  by  a  fortified  bridge. 
Claude  repeated  this  theme  twice  aftenvards,  and 
one  of  the  examples  showed  the  rocks  of  Tivoli 
in  the  background,  with  their  beautiful  cascade  and 
the  Temple  of  the  Sibyl. 

'The  Embarkation  of  St.  Paula  from  the  Port 
of  Ostia  '  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the  Spanish  works, 
and  portrays  the  dull  little  port  of  the  Roman 
States,  not  in  its  decadence,  but  as  it  might  have 
been  fifteen  centuries  before,  with  its  great  palaces 
glowing  in  the  light  of  a  summer  morning.  The 
saintly  lady  and  her  train  are  descending  towards 
the  boats,  ready  to  take  ship  for  far-away  Bethle- 
hem ;  and  the  galliots  in  the  harbor  are  fitted  for 
sea.  Among  the  other  pictures  by  Claude  now  in 
the  Madrid  Museum  are  '  The  Penitent  Magdalen,' 
and  four  other  works,  whose  figures  cannot  be 
surely  named  and  identified,  and  may  be  either 
Christian  or  Pagan. 

Another  patron  of  our  artist  was  Philippe  de  Bd- 
thune,  Count  of  Selles  and  Charost,  the  Envoy  of 
France  at  the  Papal  Court.  This  noble  diplomat 
had   been   one  of  the    most   devoted  warriors  of 


'^NEAS  IN  LATIUM:  87 

Henri  IV.,  and  had  represented  France  at  the 
Court  of  Scotland  before  coming  to  Rome.  One 
of  the  pictures  which  Claude  painted  at  his  order 
was  a  refulgent  sunset  scene,  with  a  group  of  porce- 
lain-merchants on  the  shore,  a  harbor  animated  with 
boats  and  shipping,  and  two  sumptuous  palaces 
adorned  with  statues  and  terraces.  This  brilliant 
composition  is  now  in  the  Louvre. 

Two  very  celebrated  pictures  which  Claude 
painted  while  in  the  period  of  transition  from  the 
middle  to  the  later  manner  are  now  preserved  by 
the  Earl  of  Radnor,  at  Longford  Castle.  'The 
Landing  of  ^neas  on  the  Coast  of  Latium  '  typi- 
fies, in  its  vivid  freshness  of  light  and  color,  the 
beginning  of  a  glorious  and  important  day,  and 
has  hence  received  a  second  title,  'The  Morning 
of  the  Roman  Empire.'  The  rising  sun  has  broken 
the  mists  of  dawn,  and  lights  the  radiant  sky  with 
gorgeous  hues,  streaming  out  over  the  open  sea. 
^neas  has  just  left  his  Trojan  ships,  in  a  small 
boat,  and  is  approaching  the  rock-bound  shore,  on 
whose  chffs  a  magnificent  temple  is  seen.  The 
companion-picture  is  a  sunset,  whose  lurid  light 
falls  on  piles  of  shattered  ruins,  memorials  of  the 
by-gone  splendor  of  the   immortal    city.    Among 


88  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

these  stately  relics  of  the  past  are  the  Arch  of  Sep- 
timius  Severus,  the  Coliseum,  the  Temple  of  Con- 
cord, a  broken  aqueduct  stretching  along  the  silent 
plain,  and  numerous  other  buildings  on  the  distant 
hills  and  along  the  darkening  Campagna.  In  the 
foreground,  enhancing  the  gloom  of  the  desolation 
beyond,  are  two  shepherdesses  and  a  herdsman, 
with  a  few  oxen  and  goats.  These  two  master- 
pieces are  now  valued  at  more  than  $40,000. 

Another  brilliant  painting  of  Claude's  middle 
period  was  '  Apollo  and  the  Cumaean  Sibyl,'  now 
in  the  Hermitage  Palace  at  St.  Petersburg.  It  was 
executed  on  the  order  of  Monsignore  de  JNIassimo, 
a  descendant  of  the  ancient  Maximi  family,  and 
one  of  the  most  skilful  diplomats  of  the  Roman 
Court,  envoy  to  France  and  Spain,  and  afterwards 
Cardinal.  The  picture  is  a  sea-shore  view,  on  a 
fresh  morning,  with  a  ruined  castle  and  a  city 
deserted  on  one  side,  and  cattle  and  goats  browsing 
amid  the  crumbling  walls.  In  the  centre  stands 
Apollo,  robed  in  blue,  and  addressing  himself  to 
the  Sibyl,  who  is  seated  before  him  on  a  fragment 
of  architecture.  The  azure  expanse  of  the  open 
sea  extends  beyond,  far  out  to  the  hoi  'zon,  flooded 
with  light. 


CARDINAL    CECCHINI.  89 

About  the  year  1651,  M.  Verdun,  a  wealthy 
miller  of  Lie'ge,  ordered  Claude  to  paint  him  a 
picture ;  and  the  result  was  a  broad  and  breezy 
morning  landscape,  with  distant  buildings  and 
bridges,  and  in  the  foreground  a  shepherdess  play- 
ing on  a  pipe,  with  a  rugged  herdsman  listening. 
The  companion  picture  is  an  evening  scene  near  a 
placid  river,  with  the  Coliseum  and  the  Arch  of 
Constantine  beyond,  and  groups  of  peasants  near 
the  water.  These  two  were  the  most  valuable  works 
in  the  great  Agar  Collection,  and  are  now  in  the 
Grosvenor  Gallery.  Cardinal  Cecchini,  a  Roman 
patrician  and  a  graduate  of  Perugia  University,  was 
at  this  time  active  in  the  Jansenist  controversy,  and 
a  leader  in  the  affairs  of  the  city.  He  received  from 
Claude's  studio  a  brilliant  marine,  illustrating  '  The 
Embarkation  of  St.  Paulina,'  which  is  now  in  the 
Louvre. 

Another  large  composition  —  representing  a 
thronged  seaport  under  the  blaze  of  a  splendid 
sunset — was  executed  for  Giovanni  de'  Medici, 
the  Cardinal  of  Tuscany,  and  still  remains  in  the 
gallery  which  his  ancestors  founded  at  Florence. 
In  brilliancy  of  coloring  and  richness  of  composi- 


90  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

tion,  this  ranks  among  the  most  magnificent  of 
Claude's  productions.  Cardinal  de'  Medici  was 
the  master  of  the  semi-royal  establishment  of  the 
Villa  Medici,  v^hose  grounds  were  within  a  stone 's- 
throw  of  Claude's  studio. 


SALVATOR  ROSA.  91 


CHAPTER   VI.     • 

Salvator   Rosa  and   Poussin.  —  An  Unworthy  Assistant.  —  Pope 
Alexander  VII. —  The  Constable  Colonna. 

In  the  year  1652  Salvator  Rosa  came  to  Rome, 
after  a  triumphal  sojourn  of  several  years  at  Flor- 
ence, and  established  his  home  on  the  Pincian 
Hill.  His  new  house  was  a  large  and  stately  one, 
richly  furnished  and  adorned,  and  stood  in  the 
closest  vicinity  to  those  of  Claude  and  Poussin. 
It  is  inferred  that  he  must  have  been  on  good 
terms  with  his  two  great  contemporaries,  thus  to 
have  fixed  his  abode  in  such  close  juxtaposition 
to  their  studios. 

Thenceforward  two  remarkable  groups  were 
daily  seen  by  the  Roman  world  promenading  on 
the  Pincian,  or  along  the  far-viewing  terraces  before 
the  Church  of  SS.  Trinita  de'  Monti.  One  of 
these  was  composed  of  gay  and  witty  poets  and 
artists  in  brilliant  company,  attending  Salvator 
Rosa  in  his  twilight  ramble,  and  indulging  in 
sparkling  conversation  and  dashing  repartees      The 


92  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Other,  more  sedate  and  sober,  was  formed  of  the 
disciples  of  Nicholas  Poussin,  gathered  around 
their  venerated  master,  and  listening  to  his  wise 
and  oracular  words  as  reverently  as  the  young 
Athenians  did  to  those  of  Plato  in  the  groves  of 
the  Academeia. 

But  history  and  tradition  are  alike  silent  as  to 
the  following  of  Claude,  and  forbear  to  tell  if 
he  too  promenaded  along  these  lovely  gardens, 
attended  by  those  who  gave  him  homage.  Per- 
haps we  may  infer  from  this  very  silence  that  he 
withdrew  from  such  public  displays,  and  remained 
in  his  quiet  and  well-ordered  home.  Another  of 
the  mysterious  reticences  of  history  appears  when 
we  read  the  voluminous  biographies  of  Salvator 
Rosa,  and  his  numerous  letters,  and  find  therein 
no  allusion  to  an  acquaintance  or  even  a  momen- 
tary contact  between  the  great  Neapolitan  and  his 
neighbor  and  fellow-artist.  Still  more  incompre- 
hensible is  this  silence  when  we  remember  that 
Claude's  name  is  not  even  mentioned  in  Gault  St. 
Germain's  "  Life  of  Poussin,"  though  scores  of 
lesser  and  long-forgotten  men  are  named  as  the 
companions  of  the  Norman  painter.  If  the  tliree 
great  masters  had   been   friends,  surely  such  inti- 


POUSSIN  AND  ROSA.  93 

macy  would  have  been  prolific  in  facts  and  inci- 
dents on  which  the  biographers  would  have  seized 
with  avidity.  Or  if  the  three  studios  —  fountains 
of  light  in  the  fast  hunying  twilight  of  art  —  had 
been  arrayed  against  each  other  like  hostile  camps, 
the  struggles  thus  inaugurated  and  continued  would 
have  been  marked  by  many  remarkable  episodes. 
Still  less  is  it  possible  to  believe  that  Claude,  Pous- 
sin,  and  Rosa  dwelt  side  by  side  through  all  these 
years  without  in  some  way  meeting  and  influencing 
each  other.     The  silence  of  history  is  inexplicable. 

Blanc  happily  summarizes  the  difference  between 
the  landscapes  of  Claude  and  Poussin  by  saying 
that  the  latter  are  historical,  while  the  former  are 
Arcadian.  The  one  shows  us  the  homes  of  heroes 
and  philosophers  :  the  other  portrays  the  haunts  of 
shepherds  and  demi-gods.  Poussin's  landscapes 
are  grave  and  stately,  as  if  Pythagoras  or  Homer 
had  advised  in  their  composition :  Claude's  are 
sweet  and  peaceful,  in  the  vein  of  Theocritus  and 
the  Bucolics.  When  he  painted  the  sea,  it  was 
usually  peaceful ;  his  skies  were  clear,  his  fields  are 
blissful,  and  even  the  domestic  animals  in  the  fore- 
grounds are  free  and  happy. 

Elsewhere  in  Claude's  life  we  obtain  an  occa 


94  CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 

sional  gleam  of  light.  Baldinucci  gives  an  inter- 
esting anecdote,  which  has  been  overlooked  by 
several  subsequent  biographers,  but  was  long  pre- 
served in  the  family  of  the  master.  It  illustrates 
the  patience  of  the  gentle  Lorrainer,  and  his  reluc- 
tance to  enter  into  angry  litigation  even  when  jus- 
tice was  on  his  side.  Claude's  first  and  only  pupil 
was  a  poor  and  crippled  boy  named  Giovanni  Do- 
menico,  whom  he  had  taken  into  the  studio  in  pure 
compassion.  IMindful  of  the  benefits  which  he  him- 
self had  received  from  Tassi,  while  living  with  him 
in  a  similar  manner  as  a  sen-ant  and  student,  the 
master  desired  to  transfer  these  favors,  and  more 
also,  to  another  young  and  friendless  lad ;  and  so 
he  adopted  Domenico  as  his  art-child.  The  youth 
was  lame  and  deformed ;  but  his  spirit  was  bright 
and  intelligent,  and  he  learned  rapidly.  He  was 
taught  the  arts  of  designing  and  painting,  and  also 
■  that  of  music,  in  which  Claude  was  proficient.  In 
due  time  he  became  skilled  as  an  artist,  especially 
in  landscape  themes,  and  was  well  and  favorably 
known  in  the  city. 

For  twenty-five  years  Giovanni  Domenico  re- 
mained an  inmate  of  Claude's  studio,  and  received 
nothing  but  continued  benefits  from  his  generous  and 


A   RAPACIOUS  INGRATE.  95 

compassionate  master.  But  when  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  forty,  his  patron's  enemies  spread  the  re- 
oort  throughout  Rome,  that  he  himself  painted  the 
pictures  which  were  signed  and  claimed  as  Claude's 
own,  and  incited  him  to  make  declarations  to  the 
same  effect.  The  vain  and  presumptuous  Domenico 
believed  that  an  opportunity  had  now  arrived  to  rise 
on  the  ruins  of  his  patron's  honor ;  and,  forgetful 
of  the  benefactions  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he 
joined  the  conspirators,  and  abandoned  the  studio. 
Following  that,  he  demanded  that  a  salary  should 
be  paid  him  for  all  the  years  which  he  had  spent 
with  Claude  as  charity-boy,  student,  and  assistant. 
Without  awaiting  the  vexatious  processes  of  the 
courts  of  law,  Claude  determined  to  submit  to  this 
hateful  and  provoking  extortion,  and  to  satisfy  the 
unjust  claim  of  his  heartless  protege.  Waiving 
argument  or  explanation,  he  led  Domenico  to  the 
Bank  of  Santo  Spirito,  where  all  his  funds  were 
deposited,  and  had  the  entire  amount  of  the  claim 
counted  out  to  him.  The  rapacious  ingrate  had 
but  little  pleasure  of  his  new  fortune ;  for  he  died 
soon'  afterwards,  leaving  nothing  by  which  his  name 
might  be  remembered,  save  the  record  of  a  great 
wrong.     That  the  slanders  of  the    Roman   critics 


96  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

were  unfounded,  is  evident  when  we  see  that 
Claude's  best  works  were  done  after  Domenico  left 
tlie  studio. 

During  the  year  1654  Rome  was  electrified  by 
the  conversion  of  Queen  Christina  of  Sweden,  the 
daughter  of  the  dreaded  Gothic  king,  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  who  abdicated  her  northern  throne  on 
account  of  her  faith  in  the  See  of  St.  Peter,  and 
became  an  exile  from  her  native  land.  She  en- 
tered the  gates  of  Rome  in  triumph ;  and  the 
ApostoHc  Treasury  was  exhausted  in  celebrating 
the  event  with  due  solemnity.  Thencefonvard  the 
ex-queen  held  a  quasi-royal  court  at  Rome  for 
many  years,  patronizing  the  literati  and  artists  of 
the  city  in  the  most  libei"al  manner,  and  taking  ad- 
vantage of  her  elegant  leisure  and  residence  at  one 
of  the  great  centres  of  European  civilization  to  de- 
velop and  exercise  her  lofty  mind. 

The  master  has  left  us  record  of  six  pictures 
which  he  painted  in  1654  and  1655.  The  two 
dating  from  the  first  year  were  executed  for  Roman 
gentlemen,  and  are  now  in  England,  They  repre- 
sent '  Mercury  and  Battus  '  and  '  The  Angel  Ap- 
pearing to  Hagar.'  The  works  of  1655  included 
'The  Israehtes  Worshipping  the  Molten  Calf,'  'Ja- 


THE  abb£  yOLY.  9? 

cob  Bargaining  for  Rachel,'  '  Apollo  Keeping  the 
Herds  of  Admctus,'  and  '  The  Abduction  of  Helen,' 
the  first  three  of  which  are  now  in  England.  *  The 
Trojan  V/omen  Setting  Fire  to  the  Grecian  Fleet ' 
was  painted  for  Gieronimo  Fanese,  or  rather,  per- 
haps (since  Claude's  orthography  was  rarely  cor- 
rect), for  Girolamo  Farnese,  a  grave,  candid,  and 
sincere  prelate,  who  held  the  rank  of  a  cardinal 
from  1657  until  his  death  in  1668.  Herein  numer- 
ous ships  are  seen  at  anchor  in  a  spacious  bay,  and 
the  flames  are  already  rising  from  their  hulls,  while 
a  group  of  torch-bearing  women  is  advancing  along 
"  the  shore.  On  the  distant  hills  are  the  long  en- 
campments of  the  Grecian  armies. 

Another  patron  at  about  this  time  was  the  Abbe 
Joly,  the  eminent  writer  of  numberless  religious 
books,  who  fled  to  Rome  during  the  wars  of  the 
Fronde,  and  remained  there  until  Paris  was  once 
more  in  peace.  Claude  executed  for  him  a  repre- 
sentation of  '  The  Punishment  of  Marsyas,'  wherein 
Apollo  is  directing  the  flaying  of  the  presumptuous 
satyr,  who  is  fast  bound  to  a  tree.  An  open  cham- 
paign country  stretches  away  beyond,  crossed  by  & 
winding  stream,  and  diversified  by  rocky  hills. 
This  picture  is  now  in  the  gallery  at   Holkliam, 


9 8  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

England  \  and  another  composition  based  on  the 
same  subject,  and  painted  by  Claude  for  M. 
Perochet,  is  in  the  Russian  Palace  of  the  Hermitage. 

Two  pictures  which  Claude  painted  in  1655  are 
now  in  London.  'The  Metamorphosis  of  the 
Apulian  Shepherd,'  in  the  Bridgewater  Gallery,  is 
an  evening  scene,  showing  a  sweet  Arcadian  glade, 
with  a  limpid  and  meandering  stream,  luxuriant 
trees,  and  a  distant  bay  opening  among  the  hills. 
The  Muses  are  dancing  sportively,  in  this  slirine  of 
nature ;- and  a  rash  shepherd  who  has  intruded  on 
the  sacred  scene  is  being  transformed  into  a  laurel- 
tree.  The  other  picture  is  variously  called  '  David 
at  the  Cave  of  Adullam,'  or  '  Sinon  brought  Pris- 
oner to  Priam,'  and  is  in  the  National  Gallery.  It 
is  a  capital  composition,  full  of  strength  and  vigor, 
and  containing  numerous  well-drawn  figures. 

In  April,  1655,  Cardinal  Chigi  of  Siena  was 
elected  Pope,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  Mazarin, 
and  assumed  the  name  of  Alexander  VII.  His 
pontificate  lasted  forty-two  months ;  but  he  gave 
slight  attention  to  the  administration  of  the  tem- 
poral government  of  the  States  of  the  Church  and 
the  diplomatic  intrigues  with  foreign  powers,  leav- 
ing these  things  to  his  cardinals.     As  Quirini  says, 


POPE  ALEXAXDER    VII.  99 

he,  "  having  devoted  himself  to  the  quiet  of  the  soul, 
to  a  hfe  of  pure  thought,  with  fixed  determination 
renounced  all  kinds  of  business."  Much  of  his 
time  was  spent  in  the  tranquil  retreat  of  Castel 
Gandolfo,  on  the  shore  of  the  Alban  Lake;  and 
while  in  Rome,  his  afternoons  were  devoted  to 
literature  and  conversation  with  authors.  He  also 
gave  great  care  to  the  architectural  adornment  of 
the  city,  employing  the  illustrious  architects  Ber- 
nini and  Pietro  da  Cortona  on  magnificent  public 
works.  Under  his  care  Bernini  built  the  imposing 
colonnades  around  the  Square  of  St.  Peter,  and 
Cortona  embellished  the  rich  urban  churches. 

But  poor  Rome  Avas  still  in  a  bad  way  if  we  may 
credit  the  complaints  of  her  people.  "  The  im- 
posts of  the  Barberini  have  exhausted  the  country ; 
the  avarice  of  Donna  Olympia  has  drained  the 
court;  an  amelioration  was  hoped  for  from  the 
virtues  of  Alexander  VII.,  but  all  Siena  has  poured 
itself  over  the  States  of  the  Church,  and  is  exhaust- 
ing the  last  remnant  of  their  strength."  Cardinal 
Sacchetti  begged  the  Pope  to  consider  "  oppres- 
sions, most  holy  father,  exceeding  those  inflicted  on 
the  Israelites  in  Egypt !  People  not  conquered  by 
the  sword,  but  subjected  to  the  Holy  See,  either  by 


lOO  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

their  free  accord,  or  the  donations  of  princes,  are 
more  inhumanly  treated  than  the  slaves  in  Syria  or 
A.frica.  Who  can  witness  these  things  without  tears 
of  sorrow  !  " 

It  is  said  that  Pope  Alexander  VII.  loved  Claude. 
During  his  short  pontificate  the  master  painted  at 
least  two  pictures  for  him,  '  The  Rape  of  Europa,' 
now  in  Buckingham  Palace,  and  'The  Battle  on 
the  Bridge.'  These  are  both  marine  views,  with 
commercial  ports  in  the  background,  and  full  day- 
light falling  over  the  scene.  The  legend  of  Europa 
was  illustrated  in  two  other  compositions  of  this 
period,  both  of  which  show  the  great  and  powerful 
city  of  Crete  in  the  distance,  wath  its  shipping  fill- 
ing the  harbor. 

At  least  four  of  the  master's  large  pictures  were 
finished  in  the  year  1656,  on  commissions  from 
French  and  Italian  amateurs.  The  first  is  a  repre- 
sentation of  a  sequestered  forest  scene,  through 
w4iich  a  fair  river  flows,  with  its  customary  bridge 
and  boat.  A  group  of  people  are  preparing  to 
cross  the  ford,  and  others  are  already  in  the  water. 
'  Christ  Preaching  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,'  now 
in  the  Grosvenor  Gallery,  introduces  the  great 
Teacher  and  His  apostles  and  hearers  on  the  slopes 


CLASSIC    THEMES.  lOI 

of  a  Steep  and  wooded  mountain,  with  a  fiistant 
prospect  of  tlie  Lake  of  Gennesaret  and  the  city 
of  Galilee.  'The  Angel  Appearing  to  Hagar'  is 
a  broad  scene,  with  the  mother  of  Ishmael  kneeling 
before  the  divine  messenger;  and  in  the  bnri-- 
ground  is  a  large  city  on  the  banks  of  a  river,  and  a 
line  of  mountains  closing  the  perspective.  '  Acis 
and  Galatea,'  in  the  Dresden  Gallery,  is  a  breezy 
morning  view,  with  the  two  unhappy  lovers  seated 
in  a  tent  on  the  shore,  and  Polyphemus  with  his 
flocks  on  the  cHffs  beyond.  In  the  background  is 
a  wide  expanse  of  the  sea,  stretching  out  to  the 
horizon. 

Two  pictures  executed  in  1658  are  now  in  Eng- 
land :  the  one  called  '  Ariadne  and  Bacchus,'  or 
'Ulysses  Discovering  Himself  to  Nausicaa,'  a  pure 
and  brilliant  morning  scene  near  the  maritime  city 
of  Phasacia;  the  other  a  repetition  of  'The  Rape 
of  Europa,'  with  the  high  towers  of  Crete  in  the 
distance,  and  in  the  foreground  the  fair  and  coveted 
nymph  seated  on  the  bull.  A  third  composition 
of  the  same  date  was  'The  Judgment  of  Paris,' 
the  shepherd  and  goddesses  being  in  the  foreground 
of  a  broad  open  landscape,  which  is  divided  by  a 
large   river.      The   two   last-named   pictures   were 


102  CLAUDE   LORRAINE. 

painted  for  M.  Courtois,  or  Cortese,  probably  the 
same  who  inserted  the  figures  into  many  of  Claude's 
landscapes. 

The  recorded  works  of  1659  included  two  which 
after\vard3  were  carried  to  England  :  '  Jacob  Bar- 
gaining with  Laban  for  his  Daughter  Rachel,'  and 
'The  Israelites  Worshipping  the  Molten  Calf.' 
The  former  was  painted  for  M.  Delamart,  and  is  a 
simple  pastoral  scene  in  a  maritime  country,  and 
not  far  from  a  stately  feudal  castle.  The  othei 
picture  shows  the  action  of  the  great  idolatry  trans- 
piring in  a  hilly  region,  with  Aaron  leading  the 
people.  During  the  next  year  the  master  illustrated 
the  fable  of  lo  by  two  pictures,  both  of  which  are 
in  England.  One  shows  the  jealous  Juno  confiding 
the  white  bull,  into  which  lovely  lo  has  been 
transformed,  to  the  care  of  the  watchful  shepherd 
Argus ;  the  other  introduces  the  wily  Mercury  lull- 
ing Argus  to  sleep  with  the  somnific  music  of  his 
pipe,  and  preparing  to  seize  lo,  and  fly  with  her. 
Another  picture  of  this  same  date  depicts  a  group 
of  rural  musicians,  and  dancers  in  a  shady  and 
sequestered  glade. 

In  1 66 1  Claude  painted  'The  Repose  of  the 
Holy  Family  in  the  Flight  into  Egypt,'  a  summer- 


a 


THE  R  IPO  SO.  103 

noon  scene  in  a  landscape  of  rare  beauty  and  rich- 
ness. A  broad  river  flows  across  the  picture,  with 
clusters  of  high  trees  on  its  banks,  and  cattle  graz- 
ing on  the  meadows,  and  traverses  the  base  of  a 
distant  mountain-range.  In  the  foreground  the 
Virgin  is  resting  with  the  Child,  and  receives  fruit 
from  the  hand  of  a  kneehng  angel,  while  the  vener- 
able Joseph  is  standing  behind.  This  picture  was 
painted  for  a  gentleman  at  Antwerp,  and  was  after- 
wards seized  by  Napoleon's  generals  in  the  Hesse- 
Cassel  Gallery,  and  presented  to  the  Empress 
Josephine.  It  is  now  in  the  Hermitage  Palace,  at 
St.  Petersburg.  The  subject  was  a  favorite  one 
with  Claude,  and  ,was  repeated  in  paintings  of 
different  arrangements  for  Cardinal  Giorio,  Count 
Crescenzi,  Constable  Colonna,  and  several  others. 

Other  pictures  of  this  date  were  painted  on 
commissions  from  prominent  amateurs.  One  of 
t^^ese  is  'The  Decline  of  the  Roman  Empire,' 
with  several  of  the  most  celebrated  ruins  of  the 
great  city,  silent  at  sunset,  while  a  tranquil  pas- 
toral episode  is  transpiring  in  the  foreground. 
This  fine  work  is  in  th,e  Grosvenor  Gallery ;  but 
the  fair  rural  landscape  which  was  painted  at  the 
same  time  for  M.  Wiald  has  disappeared.     A  few 


4 


I04  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

months  later  we  find  the  master  engaged  on  another 
pastoral  composition,  which  was  ordered  by  an 
individual  bearing  the  singular  composite  name  of 
Signor  Don  Lee. 

*  Queen  Esther  Supplicating  Ahasuerus  in  Behalf 
of  the  Hebrew  People  '  was  the  subject  of  a  large 
picture  which  Claude  executed  in  1662,  for  the 
Bishop  of  Montpelier.  The  artist  himself  was  ac- 
customed to  say  that  this  was  the  most  beautiful 
work  that  had  ever  gone  forth  from  his  studio. 
The  queen  and  her  attendants  are  crossing  the 
court  towards  a  vast  and  magnificent  palace  built 
on  an  eminence,  and  approached  by  a  noble  stair- 
way. At  its  base  is  a  river,  crossed  by  a  many- 
arched  bridge,  and  winding  away  through  a  rich 
country-side,  whose  vista  is  closed  by  distant  hills. 

In  the  year  1663  Claude  was  introduced  to  the 
attention  of  the  Constable  Colonna,  the  head  of 
the  most  eminent  and  noble  house  of  that  name, 
and  then  one  of  the  foremost  officials  of  the  Italian 
States.  He  had  been  Viceroy  of  Naples  and 
Aragon,  and  in  later  years  retired  to  Rome  to 
guard  the  interests  of  his  .family.  He  it  was  who 
married  Maria  de'  Mancini,  Cardinal  Mazarin's 
niece,  who   had  hoped  to   be   queen   of  France, 


COLO  AW  A.  105 

through  the  great  love  of  the  King  for  her.  In  this 
year  of  1663,  when  Colonna  first  met  Claude,  his 
son  Philip  Augustus  Colonna  was  born. 

'  The  Flight  of  the  Holy  Family '  was  the  first  of 
tlie  Colonna  pictures,  and  was  one  of  nine  repre- 
sentations which  Claude  made  of  that  picturesque 
scene.  The  main  feature  is  a  broad  and  Avinding 
river,  with  a  ruined  bridge,  fishermen  in  a  boat, 
and  cattle  diinking  at  the  margin.  The  Holy 
Family  is  advancing  on  the  left,  guided  by  an 
angel  towards  the  land  of  their  refuge.  A  rephca 
of  this  work  is  now  at  Belvoir  Castle,  and  the 
original  was  in  Lord  Ashburton's  collection. 

In  Febuary,  1663,  Claude  made  a  note  in  the 
so-called  Liber  Veritatis,  to  the  effect  that  the 
book  at  that  time  contained  157  designs.  If  the 
Count  de  Laborde's  theory  be  true,  that  the  book 
was  commenced  in  1650,  the  master  had  executed 
the  remarkable  number  of  twelve  pictures  a  year 
during  thirteen  years. 

*  Tobias  and  the  Angel '  was  painted  at  this  time, 
for  Signor  Dalmaque,  and  is  now  at  the  Russian 
Hermitage  Palace.  Another  contemporary  work 
was  the  '  Mercury  and  Battus,'  a  rich  and  charming 
pastoral  scene,  which  was  painted  for  an  Antwerp 


lo6  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

gentleman,  as  was  also  an  earlier  and  someArhal 
similar  work  in  which  Mount  Vesuvius  appears. 
Mercury  and  Battus  seems  to  have  been  a  popular 
theme  ;  for  a  few  months  later  the  master  engaged 
on  a  new  composition  thereof,  on  the  order  of  M. 
Mielld. 

The  Constable  Colonna  received  another  picture 
in  1664,  'The  Enchanted  Castle,'  a  highly  poetic 
composition  in  which  a  contemplative  female  figure 
is  brooding  in  the  solemn  twilight,  near  a  vast  and 
frowning  castle,  on  a  rocky  crag  over  the  resound- 
ing sea;  The  Bourlemont  series  was  also  enriched 
at  this  time,  by  a  capital  picture  of  '  Moses  Behold- 
ing the  Burning  Bush,'  with  an  immense  expanse 
of  open  country  beyond,  stretching  from  the  inevit- 
able medixval  city  and  arched  bridge  to  the  re- 
mote sunset  horizon.  This  work  is  now  in  :he 
Bridgewater  GiiUery. 


FAREWELL    TO    THE  FIELDS.  107 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Closed  Studio.  —  More  Colonna  Pictures.  —  Pope  Clemeni 
IX,  —  Innocent  XI.  —  Claude's  Sickness  and  Death.  —  His 
Monuments. 

In  his  later  years  Claude  was  tormented  by  the 
gout,  and  could  no  longer  wander  through  the 
suburban  plain  at  dawn  or  sunset,  or  in  the  mid- 
day-light. But  he  had  well  learned  the  lesson  of 
Nature,  and  the  shifting  play  of  her  manifold  col- 
ors ;  and  his  memory  was  filled  with  the  vivid  ele- 
ments from  which  he  formed  compositions  per- 
fumed with  an  ever-fresh  ideality,  and  impregnated 
with  the  genius  of  antiquity.  Probably  his  studio 
was  hung  about  with  sketches  and  designs,  some  of 
which  were  richly  colored,  incorporating  the  fniits 
of  his  former  rambles  in  the  open  air.  His  house 
also  was  in  a  situation  whence  he  could  gain  broad 
and  inspiring  views ;  or  by  a  few  steps,  attaining  the 
parapet  of  the  city  wall,  the  Villa  Borghese  lay  out- 
spread below,  with  its  delicious  park,  beloved  by 
Raphael.      Beyond  the  walls  Claude  had  a  small 


Io8  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

rural  vil'a  of  his  own,  where  he  often  spent  the  ville' 
giaiuj-a. 

The  Liber  Veriiatis  failed  to  accomplish  its  sup- 
posed object ;  for  in  his  later  years  the  master  was 
annoyed  beyond  measure  by  bold  plagiarists,  who 
sometimes  visited  the  studio,  and  carried  away  in 
their  memories  the  outlines  of  his  inchoate  works. 
They  would  then  hasten  to  transfer  them  to  can- 
vas \  and  frequently  these  hasty  works  were  com- 
pleted and  placed  on  sale  before  the  original  paint- 
ing was  done.  The  vexed  artist  was  compelled  to 
close  his  house  against  all  visitors,  except  a  few 
trusty  friends  and  patrons. 

Nicholas  Poussin  .died  in  December,  1665;  and 
his  funeral  train  was  followed  by  a  great  procession 
of  mourning  artists.  Perhaps  Claude  was  one  of 
these,  but  the  marvellous  silence  of  the  chroniclers 
remains  still  unbroken.  Nor  is  the  master  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  French  Academy  of 
Art,  which  was  founded  the  next  year  by  Louis 
XIV.,  and  still  exists  as  one  of  the  chief  aids  to 
modern  painting. 

During  the  year  1665  Claude  was  busy  with  new 
commissions,  including  two  for  M.  Bourlemont, 
— '  Cephalus  and  Procris  '  and   '  Apollo  and   the 


COLONNA   PICTURES.  109 

Cumaean  Sibyl.'  A  third  was  executed  for  a  Sicil- 
ian gentleman,  and  is  a  beautiful  marine  view  on 
the  Lake  of  Gennesaret,  with  Christ  caUing  Peter 
and  Andrew  from  their  boat.  At  the  same  time  he 
illustrated  sacred  history  still  further  by  a  drawing 
of  Christ  appearing  to  Mary  Magdalene,  a  subject 
which  was  aftenvard  modified  and  painted  for  Car- 
dinal Spada. 

The  Colonna  Palace  was  again  enriched  in  1666 
by  a  new  and  beautiful  picture  of  Claude's,  per- 
haps intended  for  a  companion  to  '  The  Enchanted 
Castle.'  Cupid  and  Psyche  are  enjoying  their 
morning  bath  in  a  pellucid  stream,  which  flows 
tlirough  a  verdant  region  of  woods  and  hills,  while 
from  the  mouth  of  an  adjacent  grotto  a  satjT  and  a 
shepherd  are  watching  a  flock  of  goats.  The  same 
year  saw  the  completion  of  the  picture  of  '  Er- 
minia  Listening  to  the  Old  Shepherd,'  which  had 
been  ordered  by  Falconieri.  The  venerable  swain, 
surrounded  by  his  children,  is  descanting  on  the 
pleasures  of  rural  Hfe ;  while  the  fair  lady  stands 
near  him,  holding  the  bridle  of  her  horse.  This 
subject  was  treated  once  more  by  the  artist,  with 
considerable  changes.  Another  work  of  1666  was 
the  '  Mercury  and  Battus,'  painted  for  Barine,  and 


no  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

now  in  England.  It  is  a  morning  scene  of  small 
size,  with  two  rivers  flowing  tlirough  a  broken  re- 
gion. 

In  1667  Cardinal  Giulio  Rospigliosi  of  Pistoja 
was  chosen  Pope,  and  assumed  the  name  of  Clem- 
ent IX.  His  character  was  full  of  rare  traits  of 
excellence,  such  as  were  not  usually  found  in  the 
occupants  of  the  Papal  throne,  —  moderation,  dif- 
fidence, purity  of  life,  and  hatred  of  nepotism. 
He  retained  in  office  the  men  whom  his  predecessor 
had  appointed,  and  withheld  the  usual  emoluments 
from  his  family  and  compatriots.  The  period  of 
his  pontificate  was  that  of  the  highest  development 
of  the  aristocratic  sentiment  in  Europe,  when  the 
Spanish  nobles  had  wrested  their  ancient  privileges 
fi-om  their  king,  the  British  earls  were  founding 
their  princely  power  on  the  national  constitution, 
the  French  and  German  patricians  were  semi-inde- 
pendent, Sweden's  Estates  had  hedged  their  King 
with  rude  restraints,  and  the  nobles  of  Poland 
were  in  all  things  autonomic.  In  Rome  itself  the 
throne  of  the  Pope  was  surrounded  by  a  group  of 
powerful  and  wealthy  families,  and  the  self-centred 
boldness  of  a  monarchy  was  changing  to  the  calm 
deliberation  of  an  ohgarchy.      After  the  conflicts 


CARDINAL   ROSPIGLIOSI.  Ill 

of  centuries  the  city  at  last  entered  an  era  of  tran- 
quillity, and  a  fixed  population  replaced  the  whirl 
of  new  adventurers  which  had  formerly  striven  for 
power  and  preference.  Court  etiquette  was  refined 
to  the  last  degree,  and  the  aristocrats  of  the 
princely  families  were  bound  in  rigid  ceremonial 
codes.  This  period  has  been  railed  the  Golden 
Age  of  Papal  Rome. 

While  the  new  Pope  was  but  a  simple  Cardi- 
nal before  his  elevation  to  the  Pontifical  tlirone, 
Claude  had  painted  several  pictures  for  him. 
Among  these  was  a  pastoral  scene  with  cattle  and 
goats  grazing  in  a  meadow  by  a  river-bank,  while 
the  herdsman  sat  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  playing  on  a 
pipe.  Another,  now  in  England,  portrayed  a  party 
of  peasants  attacked  by  ambushed  banditti,  —  an 
.occurrence  too  common  in  Italy  both  then  arid 
now.  Still  another  was  a  seashore  scene,  with 
boats  and  shipping  off  shore,  and  the  ruins  of  a 
temple  and  a  coliseum  nearer,  with  the  two  sisters 
Herse  and  Aglauros  walking  in  the  foreground, 
attended  by  Mercury.  The  latter  was  etched  by 
Barriere  in  1668.  Rospigliosi  had  also  been  a 
patron  of  Poussin ;  and  one  of  the  very  few  por- 
traits which  that  master  executed  represents  hira 
in  his  ecclesiastical  robes. 


112  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

The  chief  works  of  1667  were  full  of  vigor  and 
freshness,  and  showed  that,  although  the  master 
was  growing  old,  his  hand  had  not  forgotten  its 
cunning.  The  first  of  these,  '  The  Embarkation  of 
Carlo  and  ITbaldo,'  was  a  marine  view,  in  which  the 
island  of  Capri  appears.  It  was  painted  for  Fal- 
conieri,  and  is  now  in  the  collection  of  the  Earl  de 
Grey.  '  The  Noon  of  the  Day '  was  another  work, 
destined  for  Antwerp,  and  which,  after  being  stolen 
from  the  Hesse-Cassel  Gallery  by  the  French  mar- 
shals, is  now  in  the  Hennitage  Palace.  It  is  a 
brilliant  and  fascinating  work,  with  Jacob  and  Ra- 
chel at  the  well  in  the  foreground.  One  of  the 
noblest  of  the  Bourlemont  Claudes  bears  the  same 
date,  and  is  now  in  the  Bridgewater  Gallery.  This 
is  a  serene  morning  scene,  with  a  wide  expanse 
of  sea,  flooded  \vith  sunshine,  while  the  stately  and 
classic  figure  of  Demosthenes  is  pacing  along  the 
beach.  Still  another  picture  of  this  period  was 
painted  for  a  gentleman  of  Palermo,  and  is  now  in 
England.  It  is  a  sweet  and  charming  pastoral, 
with  a  vast  and  fertile  valley  sloping  dowii  to  the 
distant  sea,  and  filled  with  fading  sunlight  and  cool 
evening  shadows. 

In  1 668  the  master  painted  two  pictures  for  the 


GERMAN  ORDERS.  113 

Count  Waldestain,  a  German  noble,  and  possibly  a 
kinsman  of  the  illustrious  Wallenstein  (or  Wald- 
stein) .  They  represented  '  Abraham  Sending  away 
Hagar,'  and  'The  Angel  Appearing  to  Hagar  in 
the  Desert ; '  the  former  scene  being  laid  among 
classic  Greek  buildings,  and  the  latter  in  a  twilight 
near  the  seashore,  Waldestain  ordered  two  other 
pictures,  on  behalf  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany, 
Leopold  I. ;  but  their  titles  are  not  now  remem- 
bered. 

The  '  Priests  Sacrificing  to  Apollo,'  of  tliis  same 
year,  is  one  of  the  master's  largest  and  noblest 
works.  This  and  'The  Landing  of  ^neas  in 
Italy '  were  purchased  from  Prince  Altieri  by  Mr. 
Fagan,  and  smuggled  out  of  Naples  during  a  popu- 
lar disturbance  in  that  city.  They  were  landed  at  a 
port  in  the  West  of  England,  and  sold  for  ^60,000 
to  Hart  Davis.  The  Altieri  Claudes  are  now  at 
Leigh  Court,  near  firistol. 

Once  more  Colonna  appears  in  the  studio  in 
1669,  and  receives  a  classical  picture  of  'Diana 
and  her  Nymphs  Reposing  after  the  Chase,'  now 
in  the  Naples  Museum.  The  action  transpires  not 
far  from  a  lake,  by  which  are  two  beautiful  httle 
Greek  buildings  ;  and  the  fair  huntresses  and  theii 


114  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

dogs  are  resting  near  a  secluded  grove.  A  con- 
temporary work,  now  at  St.  Petersburg,  represents 
a  group  of  peasants  dancing,  with  an  Eden-like 
landscape  stretching  away  towards  a  broad  river 
beyond. 

Again  we  find  tribute  brought  from  Germany  tc 
the  master's  studio  ;  for  in  1670  Francesco  Piapiera, 
a  counsellor  of  Ratisbon,  secured  a  small  pastoral 
scene  from  Claude,  adorned  with  a  beautiful  ruined 
temple  of  the  Corinthian  order.  Still  another 
transcript  of  the  rural  beauty  of  Italy  was  com- 
pleted, during  the  ensuing  year,  for  an  amateur  in 
Denmark.  Of  about  this  time  also  were  two  com- 
positions from  the  life  of  ^Eneas,  —  one  wherein 
the  Trojan  hero  and  the  faithful  Achates  are  seen 
hunting  deer ;  and  the  other  exhibiting  him  in  his 
visit  to  Delos,  with  rich  Graeco-Itahan  scenery  sur- 
rounding the  group.  These  pictures  were  painted 
for  Falconieri  and  Passy  le  Gout,  and  are  now  in 
England. 

'  Priests  Conducting  a  Victim  to  Sacrifice  '  is  the 
title  of  another  of  the  Colonna  pictures,  dated 
1672,  in  which  a  crowd  of  votaries  appear  before 
an  enshrined  statue  of  Venus,  and  the  reverent 
ministers   of    the  temple  are   advancing   with   the 


A   STUDY  01'   DAWN.  I15 

doomed  bull.  Widely  different  in  motive  and 
treatment  is  the  '  Jacob  Wrestling  with  the  Angel,' 
which  was  painted  at  the  same  time  for  the  Bishoi) 
of  Ypres,  and  is  now  in  the  Russian  Palace  of  the 
Hermitage.  Therein  the  weary  combatants  are 
closing  their  struggle,  while  the  advancing  daybreak 
reveals  the  flocks  and  herds  of  the  patriarch,  de- 
filing over  the  hills.  In  this  rich  study  of  dawning 
light  appears  the  result  of  the  artist's  lonely  pere- 
grinations over  the  suburban  plains,  ere  the  earliest 
convent-bells  had  sounded  across  the  star-lit  waste. 

In  1673  Cardinal  Spada  and  Signor  Falconieri 
revisited  the  studio  with  fresh  commissions,  attest- 
ing their  appreciation  of  the  works  which  had  pre- 
viously been  executed  for  them.  The  first  resulted 
in  a  rich  and  glowing  landscape,  with  a  small  group 
in  the  foreground  which  gives  rise  to  its  name, 
'  Philip  Baptizing  the  Eunuch.'  Falconieri's  pic- 
ture represents  '  The  Cumsean  Sibyl  Conducting 
.^neas  to  the  Infernal  Regions,'  and  combines  in 
ito  u-ackground  the  Sibyl's  temple  at  TiyoU  and  the 
island  of  Capri,  off"  Naples.  Both  of  these  are  now 
in  England. 

The  chief  work  of  the  year  1674  was  ex'^cuted 
for  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  and  is  still  preserved  in 


Il6  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

the  Munich  Gallery,  with  a  duplicate  at  Sr.  Peters- 
burg It  shows  a  maritime  city  at  sunrise,  with  a 
triumphal  arch  on  one  side,  and  a  line  of  towers 
guarding  the  harbor.  The  most  conspicuous  of  the 
groups  in  the  foreground  is  a  party  of  workmen, 
preparing  to  load  a  ship  with  timber.  Two  other 
pictures  were  completed  at  this  time,  for  Cardinal 
Massimi,  and  have  since  gone  to  England.  The 
first  has  a  level  foreground,  beyond  which  is  a  rocky 
and  temple-crowned  eminence,  rising  over  a  strong- 
ly fortified  city.  In  front  is  a  group  of  priests 
advancing  with  a  white  sacrificial  bull,  while  attend- 
ant youths  bear  lambs  and  swans.  The  other  is  a 
coast  view,  with  lofty  cliffs  running  out  to  the 
centre,  and  Perseus  and  Cupid  in  converse  by  a 
purling  stream,  near  Pegasus  and  a  group  of  women. 

'The  Landing  of  ^neas  in  Italy'  was  painted  in 
1675,  ^O''  Prince  Altieri,  and  was  purchased  by 
Fagan  in  18 10,  and  transfeiTcd  to  England.  The 
Trojan  wanderer  is  standing  by  his  ships,  and  par- 
leying with  a  group  of  Latin  warriors  on  the  shore, 
while  tall-towcrcd  Carthage  rises  in  the  distance. 
At  the  same  period  the  master  executed  a  small 
duplicate  of  '  The  Repose  of  the  Holy  Family.* 

'  Dido  Showing  ^neas  the  Port  of  Carthage'  is 


POPE  INNOCENT  XI.  II 7 

a  large  and  imposing  composition,  in  .vhich  the  fair 
and  ill-fated  Queen  is  standing  near  the  portal  of  a 
noble  Ionic  temple,  in  the  fresh  glow  of  morning, 
and  pointing  her  Trojan  visitor  to  the  harbor,  with 
its  fleets  cf  Carthaginian  triremes  and  Trojan  gal- 
leys. This  picture  is  inscribed  1676,  and  was 
the  last  bearing  a  date  which  was  delivered  to 
the  Grand  Constable  of  Naples.  Other  works  of 
Claude,  however,  were  sent  to  the  Colonna  Pal- 
ace without  dates,  and  among  these  were  a  view 
of  the  Tiber  Valley  and  the  Milvian  Bridge ;  and 
Mount  HeUcon,  the  Hippocrene,  and  the  Boeotian 
Sea.  During  the  same  year  the  master  executed 
'  The  Repose  of  the  Holy  Family,'  for  ]\Iutio 
Massimi,  and  '  Jacob  Bargaining  with  Laban  for  his 
Daughter  Rachel,'  for  Francesco  Mayer. 

In  1676  Cardinal  Odescalchi  of  Como  was 
elected  Pope,  under  the  name  of  Innocent  XI.,  and 
immediately  set  himself  to  reform  the  abuses  of  the 
Papal  Government,  and  to  oppose  the  attacks  of 
Louis  XIV.  of  France.  He  had  left  the  shores  of 
his  northern  lake  many  years  before,  equipped  only 
with  sword  and  pistols,  intending  to  enter  a  military 
life  ;  but  had  been  persuaded  to  become  a  Roman 
ecclesiastic.     The  new  Pontiff  disapproved  of  Louis 


Il8  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

XIV.'s  exterminating  war  upon  the  Huguenots  ;  and 
when  the  French  Ambassador  entered  Rome  with 
a  strong  body  of  cavalry,  he  exclaimed,  "They 
come  with  horses  and  chariots,  but  we  will  walk  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  He  proceeded  with  fearless 
spirit  to  excommunicate  the  presumptuous  Envoy, 
and  laid  the  French  Church  of  St.  Louis  under 
interdict. 

In  1677  the  master  painted  a  picture  of  the 
Roman  Forum,  or  Campo  Vaccino,  which  remained 
in  his  possession  for  several  years,  and  is  now  in 
England.  It  portrays  the  melancholy  pasture  under 
which  Rome's  richest  temples  were  buried,  with  the 
ruin-crowned  Palatine  Hill  for  a  background.  Four 
peasants  appear  in  the  scene,  two  of  whom  are 
driving  a  cow,  and  the  others  are  sitting  together. 
Another  work  of  this  date,  painted  for  the  Abbd 
Chevalier,  shows  a  herdsman  and  his  dog  driving 
cattle  through  a  river,  with  a  handsome  villa  beyond 
and  a  mountainous  background.  England  pos- 
sesses two  examples  of  the  new  composition  exe- 
cuted in  1 6 78,  wherein  a  seaport  is  seen  at  sunrise, 
with  its  harbor  guarded  by  wooded  cliffs,  and  sev- 
eral vessels  riding  under  the  lee.  Several  men  are 
busy  in  the  foreground,  preparing  for  the  labors  of 


THE  END   COMETH.  1 19 

the  dawning  day.  At  this  time  also,  the  indomita- 
ble artist  drew  the  '  Jupiter  and  Calisto,'  wherein 
the  wily  god  assumes  the  shape  of  Diana,  in  order 
to  court  the  unsuspecting  nymph.  A  grove  of 
stately  trees  rises  in  the  foreground,  beyond  which 
is  a  tranquil  river.  A  brilliant  picture  was  painted 
from  this  subject,  for  a  Roman  gentleman. 

At  this  time  the  master  made  the  following  mem- 
orandum on  one  of  the  designs  of  the  Liber 
Veriiatis :  "Audi  10  dagouto  1677  ce  present  livre 
aiipartien  a  moy  que  ie  faict  durant  ma  vie.  Clau- 
dio  Gillee  dit  le  Lorane.  A  Roma,  ce  23  avril 
1680."  This  is  the  only  title  which  he  appears  to 
have  given  to  his  collection  of  drawings. 

That  Claude's  noble  life  remained  devoted  to  art 
until  the  end,  is  attested  by  a  design,  now  in  Eng- 
land, which  bears  the  date  of  1682.  The  last  of  the 
designs  in  the  Z/^^r  Veritatis  is  dated  1680;  and 
two  years  afterwards  he  made  this  latest  work, 
when  far  out  in  his  eighty-second  year.  It  repre- 
sents a  scene  from  the  ^neid,  and  is  now  in  the 
collection  of  Queen  Victoiia. 

Claude  had  been  persecuted  by  the  gout  for  ovet 
forty  years,  suffering  from  occasional  severe  alLacks. 
In  his  later  years  the  disease  rapidly  increased  in 


I20  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

virulence,  and  frequently  imperilled  his  existence. 
At  last,  in  the  autumn  of  1682,  he  was  visited  by 
an  attack  of  extraordinary  severity,  which  was  ac- 
companied by  an  acute  fever.  The  weakened 
constitution  of  the  venerable  artist  was  unable  to 
resist  such  a  complication  of  maladies,  and  he 
quickly  passed  away.  His  death  occurred  on  the 
2 1  St  of  November,  1682,  when  he  was  in  his 
eighty-second  year. 

Claude  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Santissima 
Trinita  de'  Monti,  near  his  studio  and  the  scene  of 
his  prolonged  labors.  His  heirs  placed  on  the 
tomb  a  marble  tablet,  bearing  the  inscription  :  — 

D.  O.  M. 

Claudio  Gellee  Lotharingo. 

Ex  LOCO  DE  Camagne  orto. 

PiCTORI   EXIMIO. 

Qui  ipsos  Orientis  et  Occidentis 

Sous   RADIOS   IN   CAMPESTRIBUS. 

Mirifice  pingendis  effinxit. 
HiC  IN  Urbe  ubi  artem  coluit 

SUMMAM   LAUDAM   INTER   MAGNATES 
CONSECUTUS   EST. 

Obiit  IX  Kalend.    Decemeris  1682. 

/EtATIS   SU/E  ANN.    LXXXII. 

Joan  et'Josephus  Gellee 
Patruo  Charissimo  Monumentum  hoc 
SiBi  Posterisqce  suis  poni  curarunt. 


THE  RE-INTERMENT.  121 

In  the  month  of  July,  1840,  during  the  ministry 
of  M.  Thiers,  the  remains  of  Ciaude  Lorraine  were 
removed  from  SS.  Trinita  de'  Monti  to  the  French 
National  Church  of  San  Luigi  de'  Francesi,  near  the 
Roman  Pantheon.  Here  they  were  placed  undei 
a  monument  which  the  French  Government  had 
erected  for  the  purpose,  bearing  the  inscription  :  — 

"  La  Nation  Frangaise  n^oublie  pas  ses  enfants 
celebres,  mane  lorsqu  ^ils  sont  marts  d,  Vetranger." 

The  re-interment  was  conducted  with  much  cer- 
emony, under  the  direction  of  the  representative 
of  France,  and  was  attended  by  all  the  artists  then 
in  Rome. 

Although  Claude  had  received  great  sums  of 
money  during  his  half-century  of  busy  production 
at  Rome,  he  does  not  appear  to  have  amassed  a 
fortune.  He  was  lavish  in  his  liberality  to  his  poor 
kinsmen,  several  of  whom  visited  him  at  different 
times,  carrying  considerable  sums  of  money  back 
10  iheir  homes  in  Lorraine.  His  property  at  the 
time  of  his  death  amounted  to  only  ten  thousand 
scudi. 

M.  Charles  Blanc  states  that  in  1862,  the  mayor 
of  Chamagne  bore  the  name  of  Claude  Gellee,  and 


122  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

claimed  descent  from  the  great  artist's  family.  He 
was  still  carrying  on  the  protracted  lavvsuit,  which 
the  relatives  of  Claude  had  maintained  for  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half,  against  the  papal  authorities  at 
Rome,  seeking  to  recover  the  heritage  which  the 
great  painter  bequeathed  to  them.*  For  so  long  a 
period  the  ecclesiastical  government  had  withheld 
the  delivery  of  his  property,  and  the  suit  for  its 
recovery  had  been  pending  in  the  courts. 


CONTEMPORARIES.  1 23 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Claude's  Private  Life.  —  His  Followers.  —  Classical  Tendencies. 
—  Life  Work. — Figure -Painting. —  Ideals.  — Verdicts  of 
Critics. 

The  private  life  of  Claude  Lorraine  was  alto- 
gether above  reproach,  and  his  character  was  un- 
impeachable. The  amiability  of  his  disposition 
was  reflected  in  his  pleasant  face,  which  shows  the 
outward  signs  of  a  sweet  and  tender  soul,  though 
filled  with  gravity  and  sobriety. 

During  his  lifetime  many  of  the  foremost  artists 
of  the  seventeenth  century  dwelt  in  Rome,  often- 
times in  bitter  feud  with  each  other,  and  not  un- 
wiUing  to  exchange  the  pencil  for  the  stiletto. 
The  Caracci  had  passed  away;  yet  there  still 
remained  illustrious  names,  —  Guido,  Domeni- 
chino,  Lanfranco,  Albano,  Du  Fresnoy,  II  Cavaliere 
d'Arpino,  and  Pietro  da  Cortona.  But  Claude  is 
never  heard  of  in  the  bitter  contentions  between 
these  envious  painters,  and  was  not  claimed  by 
either  of  the  hostile  factions.     His  life  was   thus 


£24  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

set  apart  from  ignoble  jealousies ;  and  we  may 
fairly  conclude  that  his  spirit  rose  above  the  un- 
worthy intrigues  which  agitated  his  contemporaries 
in  Rome, 

Countless  was  the  number  of  those  who  were 
inspired  by  Claude's  example,  and  followed  his 
footsteps,  —  some  near,  and  others  afar  off.  The 
great  companies  of  art-students  who  came  from  all 
lands  to  Rome  were  filled  with  enthusiasm  for  his 
grand  works,  and  strove  to  approach  their  inimita- 
ble splendor.  For  two  centuries  the  artists  of 
France  considered  him  as  their  classic  model,  even 
until  the  new  school  arose,  daring  to  illuminate 
the  natural  beauties  of  the  North  in  the  light  of 
its  indigenous  and  romantic  poesy.  The  modem 
English  school  of  landscape-painting  derived  no 
small  portion  of  its  brilliant  success  from  the 
national  enthusiasm  for  the  works  of  Claude,  which 
are  found  in  every  reputable  collection  in  the 
island. 

Some  historians  assert  that  Claude  had  two 
pupils  besides  the  mendacious  Domenico ;  but 
this  opinion  is  not  generally  accepted.  Hermann 
Swanevelt  was  one  of  these,  and  Courtois  was  the 
other.     Swanevelt  was  a  Hollander,  who  journeyed 


IMITATORS.  125 

to  Italy  when  quite  young,  and  spent  the  rest  of 
his  life  there,  studying  very  hard,  and  secluding 
himself  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  known  as 
"  The  Hermit  of  Italy."  Angeluccio  is  also  spoken 
of  as  one  of  Claude's  students,  and  the  one  on 
whom  the  great  master  lavished  the  most  care ; 
but  the  early  death  of  this  artist  prevented  the 
development  which  might  have  followed. 

Peter  Molyn  came  from  Holland  to  Rome  in 
1662,  and  straightway  began  to  imbibe  the  manner 
of  Claude  in  painting  broad  landscapes  enriched 
with  temples  and  rivers.  Latterly  he  developed  a 
remarkable  facility  for  depicting  storms  at  sea, 
whence  he  was  called  //  Tempesta.  The  same 
influence  had  previously  strengthened  several  other 
Northern  artists  at  Rome,  including  Jan  Asselyn  of 
Antwerp,  famous  for  his  Campagna-scenes,  Henry 
Vandervert  of  Flanders,  and  Ernest  Lairesse  of 
Liege. 

Claude  was  never  so  independent  of  the  spirit 
of  his  time  as  to  venture  to  reproduce  Nature  pure 
and  simple.  He  remained  faithful  to  the  traditions 
of  Poussin  and  of  French  art  in  making  the  land- 
scapes accessory  to  the  action  of  the  figures  in  the 
foreground.     The  gorgeous  sunset  illuminating  the 


126  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

vast  expanse  of  tlie  sea  was  but  a  background  to 
the  incident  of  Cleopatra  descending  from  her 
galley ;  a  rich  landscape  of  the  Tiber  valley  and  the 
Alban  Mountains  encloses  the  marriage-festival  of 
Isaac  and  Rebecca  ;  and  a  delineation  of  the  heights 
above  Tivoli  has  Apollo  and  the  Muses  for  its  chief 
motive.  Along  the  beaches  in  his  sea-views  walk 
stately  antique  figures,  —  now  /Eneas  landing  on 
the  Latian  shore,  now  Jonah  approaching  the  high 
towers  of  Nineveh,  now  Demosthenes  by  the  Gulf 
of  Salamis. 

His  long  abode  in  Rome  enabled  the  master  to 
draw  the  classical  adjuncts  of  his  pictures  with  un- 
failing accuracy.  Many  ancient  buildings,  which  are 
now  demolished  or  dilapidated,  were  then  standing, 
in  all  their  strength  of  Latin  architecture.  The 
Cohseum  was  even  then  being  pulled  down,  in 
order  that  the  palaces  of  the  nobles  might  be  built 
from  its  materials ;  and  it  was  not  until  Claude  had 
been  dead  for  a  half-century  that  its  further  de- 
struction was  stopped  by  a  Papal  order,  consecrat- 
ing the  vast  niins  to  the  Passion  of  Christ.  Sur- 
rounded by  such  a  wealth  of  Latin  statuary  and 
buildings,  the  artist  never  failed  to  depict  classic 
architecture  with  precision ;   and   the  rays  of  his 


A RCADIAN  LANDSCAPES.  1 2  7 

entrapped  sunlight  by  the  sea  fell  across  the  rigging 
of  vessels  which  correctly  reproduced  the  antique 
triremes. 

The  princes  of  the  Roman  hierarchy  therefore 
found  their  semi-pagan  tastes  fully  gratified  by 
Claude's  compositions,  wherein  they  could  see  the 
portrayal  of  Ovid's  melodious  stories  of  Psyche 
and  Egeria,  or  a  realization  of  the  sweetest  pas- 
torals of  Virgil.  The  classical  culture  wliich  had 
come  into  vogue  during  the  reign  of  Leo  X.  was 
still  predominant,  and  caused  the  red-robed  Latin- 
ists  to  look  with  favor  on  landscapes  whicli>  seemed 
reproduced  from  the  Golden  Age,  and  religious 
pictures  in  which  the  saints  resembled  the  blessed 
people  of  Arcadia,  and  were  quite  subordinated, 
withal,  to  the  larger  features  of  piles  of  classic 
architecture,  and  rivers  and  hills  famous  in  the  lit- 
erature of  the  Augustan  age.  In  some  cases,  the 
broad  and  diversified  landscape,  as  sweetly  fragrant 
as  an  idyl  of  Anacreon,  swept  around  scenes  whose 
action  was  portrayed  with  such  ambiguity  that  the 
people  could  not  tell  whether  they  were  pagan 
or  scriptural,  —  as  in  that  which  was  indifferently 
called  'David  at  the  Cave  of  Adullam,'  or  'Sinon 
Broujjht  to   Priam ; '    and   that    other   which   was 


128  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

equally  known  as  'The  Idolatry  of  Solomon,'  and 
*  Priests  Sacrificing  to  Venus.'  In  other  cases  it 
was  not  easy  to  distinguish  Cleopatra  from  the. 
Queen  of  Sheba,  as  the  royal  lady  lands  from  her 
galley  on  the  Mediterraean  shore. 

During  the  threescore  years  of  Claude's  resi- 
dence in  Rome,  he  saw  the  foundation  and  aggran^ 
dizement  of  several  of  the  proudest  famiUes  of  the 
city,  which  speedily  attained  such  wealth  and  power 
that  all  the  vicissitudes  of  subsequent  centuries 
have  failed  to  affect  them  materially.  Among 
these  were  the  Borghesi,  founded  by  Pope  Paul  V. ; 
the  Ludovisi,  by  Gregory  XV. ;  the  Barberini,  by 
Urban  VIII. ;  the  Pamfili,  by  Innocent  X. ;  and 
the  Chigi,  Altieri,  and  Odescalchi,  by  subsequent 
Pontiffs.  He  was  summoned  to  aid  in  the  decora- 
tion of  the  new  homes  of  these  princely  houses  by 
his  rich  and  glowing  canvases,  and  in  other  ways. 
It  seems  that  the  memory  of  his  experience  at  fres- 
coing while  at  Nancy  was  evanescent,  and  the 
fright  which  he  received  there  was  in  time  forgot- 
ten; for  he  executed  several  large  works  of  this 
character  at  Rome.  Among  these  were  decorations 
in  the  Crescenzi  Palace,  on  the  square  by  the  Pan- 
theon ;  the  Muti  Palace,  in  the  Square  of  the  Holy 


DELIBERATE    WORK.  129 

Apostles ;  and  the  great  house  of  the  Muzi,  neai 
SS.  Trinitk  de'  Monti. 

The  Hsts  of  Claude's  paintings  include  aoout 
tliree  hundred  works,  besides  a  hundred  drawings 
and  numerous  etchings.  But  when  we  remember 
that  these  were  the  fruits  of  sixty  years  of  uninter- 
rupted labor,  it  becomes  evident  that  there  was  no 
undue  haste  here,  and  that  abundant  time  was 
afforded  for  long  and  patient  study,  and  elaborate 
care.  Gaspard  Poussin  and  Salvator  Rosa  were 
endowed  with  an  amazing  facility  of  execution, 
and  occasionally  painted  entire  landscapes,  figures 
and  all,  in  a  single  day.  But  their  illustrious  con- 
temporary was  slower  and  more  deliberate  in  his 
compositions,  and  usually  devoted  months  to  each 
of  his  pictures.  Sometimes  he  worked  steadily  for 
a  fortnight  without  any  progress  being  perceptible. 

Most  of -Claude's  paintings  now  extant  are  pre- 
served in  the  public  galleries  of  Europe,  and  in  the 
rich  private  collections  of  England.  It  is  only  by 
inspecting  the  ancient'  catalogues  of  Baldinucci  and 
the  Liber  Veritatis  that  we  can  see  what  deplorable 
losses  the  world  has  suffered  in  the  pictures  which 
have  been  destroyed  by  fires  and  other  accidents. 
Those  which   remain   are   in   various   degrees   of 


130  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

preservation,  although  they  are  generally  in  better 
condition  than  other  contemporary  works,  and  have 
suffered  less  from  the  presumptuousness  of  the 
so-called  restorers.  At  one  period  the  master 
imitated  Poussin  in  using  an  unfortunate  tint  of  red 
for  a  foundation ;  and  the  pictures  painted  in  this 
manner  are  now  of  very  sombre  hues,  deeply 
embrowned  by  time.  The  same  mischance  has 
happened  to  many  of  Poussin's  pictures  also. 
Claude  painted  with  a  full  body  of  color,  and  used 
ultramarine  liberally.  His  foundation-tint  was  a 
silvery  gray,  giving  a  rich  atmospheric  effect  to  the 
superimposed  colors.  No  part  of  the  work  was 
slighted ;  and  the  half-tones  and  distances  were 
finished  as  carefully  and  delicately  as  the  luminous 
foregrounds. 

The  execution  of  tlie  figures  of  men  and  animals 
in  Claude's  landscapes  does  not  correspond  with 
the  rest  of  the  work.  It  is  not  true  that  he  could 
not  design  nor  paint  these  subjects  (as  some  pre- 
tend), but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  all  his  long 
and  conscientious  studies  failed  to  give  him  the 
ability  to  represent  the  human  figure  with  the  same 
magic  power  that  he  gave  to  natural  scenery. 
Baldinucci  reproaches  him  for  portraying  figures  as 


FIG  URE-PAINTING.  1 3 1 

too  slender  and  lank.  The  artist  himself  recog- 
nized his  deficiency  in  this  regard,  and  said  to  the 
purchaser  of  one  of  his  compositions,  "  I  sell  you 
the  landscape :  as  to  the  figures,  I  give  them  to 
you." 

The  custom  of  employing  other  artists,  more 
skilful  in  that  department,  to  paint  the  figures 
in  landscape  pictures,  afterwards  became  common, 
both  in  Italy  and  the  Low  Countries.  The  author 
of  the  composition  contented  himself  with  indi- 
cating where  these  accessories  should  be  placed. 
Ruysdael  secured  the  skilful  pencils  of  Van  de 
Velde,  Ostade,  and  Wouverman,  to  enliven  his 
landscapes  with  men  and  animals  ;  and  many  other 
artists,  both  great  and  small,  followed  the  same 
course.  When  Claude  was  enabled  to  secure  aid 
in  this  manner,  he  doubtless  felt  a  great  relief,  for 
the  execution  of  these  accessories  had  always  been 
a  distasteful  task  to  him.  The  coadjutor  whom 
he  chose  was  Filippo  Lauri,  the  son  of  that  Bal- 
dassare  Lauri,  of  Antwerp,  who  had  studied  under 
Vaul  Bril  and  settled  at  Rome  many  years  before. 
Filippo  studied  with  his  brother  and  with  Caroselli, 
and  became  famous  for  his  correct  and  spirited 
figures,  historical,  mythological,  or  allegorical,  and 


132  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

his  careful  perspective.  He  must  have  been  young 
when  he  became  connected  with  Claude,  for  he 
was  not  born  until  1623.  There  is  a  tradition 
that  Claude  also  employed  Jacob  Courtois,  or 
II  Borgognone,  and  John  Miel,  to  add  the 
figures  to  his  landscapes.  Courtois  was  from 
Eastern  France,  and  after  an  adventurous  life 
in  the  army  he  studied  at  Bologna  under  Guido 
and  Albano,  and  then  settled  at  Rome,  where  he 
attained  a  great  reputation  for  painting  vivid  and 
spirited  battle-pieces.  John  Miel,  or  Giovanni 
della  Vite,  as  the  Italians  called  him,  was  born  near 
Antwerp,  and  studied  under  Seghers  and  Van  Dyck 
and  afterwards  under  Sacchi,  at  Rome.  He  be- 
came eminent  as  an  historical  and  genre  painter, 
and  excelled  in  the  delineation  of  pastoral  groups, 
gypsies,  hunters,  and  other  subjects  such  as  would 
be  fitly  surrounded  by  Claude's  noble  landscapes. 

Another  tradition  makes  of  Nicholas  Poussin  one 
of  the  figure-painters  for  Claude's  landscapes.  It 
is  not  impossible  that  the  renowned  Norman  artist 
occasionally  obliged  his  neighbor  in  this  way,  and 
inserted  his  classic  and  Raphaelesque  demi-gods  in 
the  Lorrainer's  open-air  vistas.  No  traces  of  Pous- 
sin's  handiwork,  however,  can  now  be  recognized 


BEAUTY  SOUGHT  OUT.  133 

in  the  existing  pictures  of  Claude.  Another  ac- 
count states  that  Jaques  Callot,  the  famous  engraver 
of  Nancy,  was  employed  to  finish  the  master's 
f.^ires ;  but  Meaume  has  clearly  proven  that  this 
is  impossible. 

There  are  many  drawings  by  Claude  now  extantj 
and  they  are  held  as  almost  priceless.  Besides  the 
collected  sketches  in  the  three  volumes  of  the  Liber 
Veritatis,  the  Duke  of  Devonshire  owns  no  less 
than  twenty- one  original  drawings  by  the  great 
master.  The  British  Museum  also  has  a  rich  col- 
lection of  these  designs,  including  thirty-eight  which 
were  given  by  the  bequest  of  Richard  PajTie  Knight. 
Earl  Spencer  has  fifteen  more ;  and  several  other 
British  collections  boast  of  their  treasures  of  the 
same  kind.  Sometimes  these  are  hastily  outlined 
sketches,  as  if  done  in  the  open  air,  with  limited 
time,  but  usually  they  are  more  carefully  finished, 
and  probably  served  as  the  themes  for  large  paint- 
ings. 

Claude  always  sought  for  beauty  and  magnifi- 
cence, falling  short  of  sublimity  on  the  one  hand, 
and  avoiding  dulness  on  the  other.  The  offensive 
objects  which  so  often  needlessly  appear  in  the  pic- 
tiires  of  the  Dutch  school  are  never  met  with  in  hia 


^ 


134  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Arcadian  landscapes ;  and  even  his  figures,  thougn 
sometimes  ill-drawn,  are  in  harmony  with  the 
scenes  in  which  they  stand,  judiciously  placed  and 
shaded,  and  filled  with  that  perfiime  of  poetry  and 
antiquity  that  the  master  knew  so  well  how  to  im- 
part. The  foregrounds  are  occupied  by  stately 
masses  of  foliage,  and  august  palaces  or  classic 
ruins ;  the  middle  distances  are  enriched  by  groves 
and  park-like  scenery,  broad  expanses  of  translu- 
cent water,  and  tlie  long  lines  of  arched  aqueducts, 
or  the  hoary  masses  of  gray  towers ;  and  in  the 
backgrounds  a  boundless  expanse  of  rich  Italian 
scenery  sweeps  away  to  the  soft  and  misty  hills. 

Of  all  the  scenes  in  nature  Claude's  favorite  was 
a  sunset  at  sea,  where  the  level  light  streams  in  red 
radiance  across  the  calm  waters,  the  ripples  under 
the  light  evening  breeze  send  back  myriads  of 
sparkling  reflections,  and  a  few  gauzy  clouds  fleck 
the  tranquil  sky.  But  he  did  not  dream  of  the  hardi- 
hood of  the  true  marine-painters  of  the  North  and 
of  the  New  World,  who  would  out  of  these  simple 
elements,  with  the  addition  of  a  lonely  ship  under 
sail  or  a  strip  of  sandy  beach  or  rocky  shore,  com- 
pose brilliant  and  every-way  satisfactory  pictures. 
He   did  not  venture  thus  to  face  the  unrelieved 


SEA-PICTURES.  1 35 

mystery  of  the  outer  deep,  but  held  carefully  with 
one  hand  to. the  civic  splendors  of  the  Italian  city, 
and  regarded  even  the  placid  Mediterranean  from  a 
safe  harbor-shore.  Along  the  margin  of  his  radiant 
sea  he  drew  up  lines  of  stately  palaces,  tall-col- 
umned porticos,  terraces  adorned  with  statuary, 
battlemented  towers,  and  masses  of  architecture  as 
rich  and  unreal  as  the  Carthage  or  the  Baiae  of 
Turner's  later  compositions.  His  was  never  the 
"  salt,  serviceable,  unsentimental  sea,"  of  Stanfield, 
nor  Van  de  Velde's  dark  and  stonn-tossed  German 
Ocean,  lighted  by  the  artillery  of  naval  combats  ;  but 
calm  Italian  havens,  with  perennial  sunlight  bathing 
the  riparian  palaces  in  a  golden  glow,  and  sifting 
through  the  cordage  of  quaint  old  carved  galleys 
and  richly  curtained  state-barges.  He  shrank  from 
the  a\vful  and  impressive  solitude  of  the  northern 
seas,  and  peopled  his  shores  with  groups  of  merry 
and  easy-going  Italians,  or  Latin  heroes,  or  Hebrew 
saints.  Red  Rembranesque  lights  fell  on  them 
from  the  glowing  West ;  and  sometimes,  with  a 
charming  touch  of  realism  worthy  of  Flemish  art, 
they  were  shown  as  holding  their  hats  before  their 
eyes,  to  avoid  being  blinded  by  the  fierce  level  glare. 
Far  out  beyond  all  these,  the  genre  groups,  the  ar 


136  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

chitecture  of  the  port,  and  the  crowded  caravels  at 
anchor,  the  declining  sun  sinks  amid-  a  vast  sea  of 
splendor,  oftentimes  surrounded  by  the  fairy  palaces 
of  the  flame-tipped  clouds.  It  has  been  well  said 
that  Claude  did  for  nature  what  Raphael  had  done 
for  the  human  face,  and  nowhere  does  this  appear 
more  clearly  than  in  his  noble  marine-views. 

Even  Ruskin  says  that  "  The  seas  of  Claude  are 
the  finest  pieces  of  water-painting  in  ancient  art ;  " 
but  adds  to  this  encomium,  that  "  A  man  accus- 
tomed to  the  broad,  wild  seashore,  with  its  bright 
breakers  and  free  winds  and  sounding  rocks,  can 
scarcely  but  be  angered  when  Claude  bids  him  stand 
still  on  some  paltry,  chipped,  and  chiselled  quay, 
with  porters  and  wheelbarrows  running  against  him, 
to  watch  a  weak,  rippling,  bound  and  barriered  water, 
that  has  not  strength  enough  in  one  of  its  waves 
to  upset  the  flower-pots  on  the  wall,  or  even  to 
fling  one  jet  of  spray  over  the  confining  stone." 
The  great  critic  seems  to  forget  that  Claude  did 
not  paint  the  wild  Baltic  nor  the  turbulent  Atlantic, 
but  the  placid  Mediterranean,  in  the  sunny  and 
peaceful  bays  of  Italy.  Nevertheless,  in  at  least 
three  pictures  he  represented  such  storms  as  would 
have  delighted  Stanfield  himself,  with  the  surf  leap- 


WORTHY  PRAISE.  137 

mg  high  on  a  rocky  coast,  and  helpless  vessels  fly- 
ing before  the  gale. 

Again  Ruskin  states  :  "  A  perfectly  genuine  and 
untouched  sky  of  Claude  is  indeed  most  perfect, 
and  beyond  praise  in  all  qualities  of  air ;  though 
even  with  him  I  often  feel  rather  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  pleasant  air  between  me  and  the  fir- 
mament, than  that  the  firmament  itself  is  only  air. 
...  A  gift  was  given  to  the  world  by  Claude,  for 
which  we  are  perhaps  hardly  enough  grateful,  ow- 
ing to  the  very  frequency  of  our  after- enjoyment 
of  it.  He  set  the  sun  in  heaven  ;  and  was,  I  sup- 
pose, the  first  who  attempted  any  thing  like  the 
realization  of  actual  sunshine  in  misty  air." 

Charles  Blanc  says  :  "  Claude  Lorraine,  in  his 
love  for  nature,  lent  it  the  dignity  of  his  radiant 
genius.  If  he  painted  it  as  noble,  tranquil,  and 
filled  with  Hght,  it  is  because  he  had  a  sweet,  lofty, 
and  serene  spirit,  in  which  the  sublime  candor  of 
Virgil  seemed  to  have  been  born  again.  Claude  is 
the  only  painter  who  has  dared  to  look  full  at  the 
beaming  face  of  the  sun.  He  also,  of  all  the  land- 
scape-painters, is  the  one  who  best  knew  how  to 
paint  air,  which  is  as  necessary  to  the  Hfe  of  the 
landscape  as  respiration  is  to  that  of  man." 


138  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Liibke,  the  historian  of  art,  has  written  :  "  Far 
more  profoundly  than  these  and  all  other  masters, 
did  Claude  Gelle'e  penetrate  into  the  secrets  of 
nature ;  and  by  the  enchanting  play  of  sunlight, 
the  freshness  of  his  dewy  foregrounds,  and  the 
charm  of  his  atmospheric  distances,  he  obtained  a 
tone  of  feeling  which  influences  the  mind  like  an 
eternal  Sabbath  rest.  In  his  works  there  is  all  the 
splendor,  light,  untroubled  brightness,  and  harmony 
of  the  first  morning  of  creation  in  Paradise.  His 
masses  of  foliage  have  a  glorious  richness  and 
freshness,  and,  even  in  the  deepest  shadows,  are 
interwoven  with  a  golden  glimmer  of  light.  But 
they  serve  only  as  a  mighty  framework ;  for,  more 
freely  than  with  other  masters,  the  eye  wanders 
through  a  rich  foreground  into  the  far  distance,  the 
utmost  limits  of  which  fade  away  in  golden  mist." 

Lanzi,  the  historian  of  Italian  art,  sums  up  the 
verdict  in  saying :  "  Claude  Lorraine  is  generally 
esteemed  the  prince  of  landscape-painters ;  and 
his  compositions  are  indeed,  of  all  others,  the  rich- 
est and  the  most  studied.  A  short  time  suffices  to 
run  through  a  landscape  of  Poussin  or  Rosa  from 
one  end  to  the  other,  when  compared  with  Claude, 
though  on  a  smaller  surface.     His  landscapes  pre- 


LANZI'S  OPINION.  1 39 

sent  to  the  spectator  an  endless  variety ;  so  many 
views  of  land  and  water,  so  many  interesting  ob- 
jects, that,  like  an  astonished  traveller,  the  eye  is 
obliged  to  pause  to  measure  the  extent  of  the  pros- 
pect ;  and  his  distances  of  mountains  or  of  sea  are 
so  illusive,  that  the  spectator  feels,  as  it  were, 
fatigued  by  gazing.  The  edifices  and  temples 
which  so  finely  round  off  his  compositions,  the 
lakes  peopled  with  aquatic  birds,  the  foliage  diver 
sified  in  conformity  to  the  different  kinds  of  trees, 
all  is  nature  in  him ;  every  object  arrests  the  atten- 
tion of  an  amateur ;  every  thing  furnishes  instruc- 
tion to  a  professor,  particularly  when  he  painted 
with  care,  as  in  the  pictures  of  the  Altieri,  Colonna, 
and  other  palaces  of  Rome.  There  is  not  an 
effect  of  light,  or  a  reflection  in  the  water,  or  in 
the  sky  itself,  which  he  has  not  imitated ;  and  the 
various  changes  of  the  day  are  nowhere  better  rep- 
resented than  in  Claude.  In  a  word,  he  is  truly 
the  painter  who,  in  depicting  the  three  regions  of 
air,  earth,  and  water,  has  embraced  the  whole  uni- 
verse. His  atmosphere  almost  always  bears  the 
impression  of  the  sky  of  Rome,  whose  horizon  is, 
from  its  situation,  rosy,  dewy,  and  warm." 


140  CLAUDE  LORRAINE 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  held  Claude  as  an  especial 
favorite,  and  regarded  his  fame  in  landscape-paint- 
ing as  pre-eminently  excellent.  Northcote  reports 
that  the  great  English  artist  once  said  "that  we 
might  sooner  expect  to  see  another  Raphael  than 
another  Claude  Lorraine." 

Allston  says  that  while  one  is  studying  Claude's 
pictures  "the  eye  stops,  instinctively  closing,  and 
giving  place  to  the  Soul,  there  to  repose  and  to 
dream  her  dreams  of  romance  and  love." 

Goethe  concludes  the  whole  matter  with  these 
words :  "  In  Claude  Lorraine  Nature  reveals  her- 
self for  Eternal." 


A  LIST  OF  THE 

PAINTINGS  OF  CLAUDE  LORRAINE, 

NOW  IN  EXISTENCE, 

WITH  THE   DATES  OF   THEIR   EXECUTION,   AND  THEIR 
PRESENT   LOCATIONS. 


***  The  interrogation-point  annexed  to  a  title  signifies  that  some 
critics  consider  f  lie  picture  to  be  of  doubtful  authenticity. 


ITALY. 

Rome.  —  Doria  Palace,  —  The  Nuptials  o£  Isaac  and 
Rebecca  (II  Molino),  1648;  Cephalus  and  Procris,  1665; 
The  Flight  into  Egypt;  Mercury  Stealing  the  Cattle  o£ 
Admetus ;  Landscape  with  the  Temple  of  Apollo.  Colontia 
Palace,  —  Landscape.  Barberini  Palace,  —  C  astel  Gandolf o ; 
A  Marine  View.  Sciarra-Colonna  Palace, —  Two  Land- 
scapes.    Rospigliosi  Palace,  —  Temple  of  Venus. 

Naples.  —  Museum,  —  An  Egerian  Landscape;  Diana 
Reposing  after  the  Chase,  1669.  Florence, —  Uffizi  Gal- 
lery, —  A  Landscape ;  Marine  View,  with  the  Villa  Medici. 
Modena,  —  Galleria  Estense,  —  A  Landscape.  Turin,  — 
Academy,  —  Two  Landscapes. 


142  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

SPAIN. 
Madrid.  —  Mttseum,  —  The  Burial  of  Santa  Sabina ; 
Pharaoh's  Daughter  Finding  Moses  in  the  Nile ;  Santa  Paula 
Embarking  for  Palestine ;  Tobias  and  the  Archangel  Ra- 
phael, 1663  ;  The  Temptation  of  St.  Anthony ;  The  Penitent 
Magdalen;  A  Pastoral  Scene;  A  Desert  Landscape;  A 
Morning  Landscape ;  An  Evening  Landscape. 

FRANCE. 
Paris. — The  Louvre,  —  Samuel  Anointing  King  David; 
The  Landing  of  Cleopatra;  Chryseis  Restored  by  the 
Greeks  to  her  Father ;  iEneas  and  Achates,  1646;  Villagers 
Dancing;  An  Italian  Seaport;  The  Campo  Vaccino  at 
Rome ;  A  Seaport  at  Sunset ;  The  Embarkation  of  Santa 
Paulina;  A  Seaport  at  Morning;  A  Herdsman  and  Cattle; 
A  Peasant  in  a  Wooded  Landscape ;  The  Dancing  Bagpiper ; 
A  Pastoral  Scene. 

Grenoble.  —  Museum,  —  Two  Landscapes. 

GERMANY. 

Munich.  —  Pinakothek,  —  Abraham  Expelling  Hagar, 
1668;  The  Angel  Appearing  to  Hagar,  1668;  The  Musical 
Peasants ;  A  Morning  Scene  by  the  Sea,  1674 ;  A  Landscape. 

Dresden.  —  Museum,  —  Acis  and  Galatea,  1656;  The 
Flight  into  Egypt ;  Shepherds  Piping. 

Berlin.  —  Museum,  —  The  Triumph  of  Silenus ;  A  Land 

scape. 

BELGIUM. 

Brussels.  —  Museum,  —  A  Landscape 


LIST  OF  PAINTINGS.  143 

RUSSIA. 
St.  Petersburg. — Hermitage  Palace,  —  Jacob  and  Ra- 
chel at  the  Well  {'The  Noon  of  the  Day'),  1667;  Jacob 
Wrestling  with  the  Angel,  1672;  The  Punishment  of  Mar- 
syas;  The  Repose  of  the  Holy  Family,  1661 ;  Tobias  and 
the  Angel,  1663;  A  Pastoral  Scene ;  Apollo  and  the  Cumaean 
Sibyl ;  A  Seaport  at  Sunrise,  1674 ;  The  Pilgrims  to  Em- 
maus ;  Ulysses  Visiting  the  Court  of  Lycomedes ;  Work- 
men on  the  Shore ;  A  Seaport  at  Sunrise.  Count  Strogonoff, 
—  Peasants  Dancing,  1669. 

ENGLAND, 

London.  —  National  Gallery,  —  The  Embarkation  of 
the  Queen  of  Sheba,  1648 ;  The  Nuptials  of  Isaac  and  Re- 
becca, 1648;  The  Embarkation  of  St.  Ursula,  1646;  A  Port 
at  Sunset,  1644;  The  Reconciliation  of  Cephalus  and  Procris, 
1645;  The  Death  of  Procris;  Narcissus  and  Echo;  Hagar 
in  the  Desert ;  A  Goatherd ;  David  at  the  Cave  of  Adul- 
1am,  1655.  Bridgewater  Gallery,  —  Moses  Beholding  the 
Burning  Bush,  1664;  Demosthenes  on  the  Seashore,  1667; 
Morning  Landscape,  with  Girls  Dancing,  1657  ;  Evening 
Landscape,  with  Cattle,  1655;  The  Metamorphosis  of  the 
Apulian  Shepherd,  1655. 

Grosvenor  Gallery,  —  The  Repose  of  the  Holy  Family, 
1651 ;  An  Evening  Landscape;  A  Herdsman  and  Cattle j 
The  Decline  of  the  Roman  Empire,  1661 ;  Morning,  1651  ; 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  1656;  The  Adoration  of  the 
Golden  Calf ;  Two  Shepherds  at  Evening ;  An  Evening 
Landscape,  1651. 


144  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

Buckingham  Palace,  —  The  Rape  of  Europa. 

Stafford  House  (Duke  of  Sutherland),  —  A  Landscape, 
with  a  Trumpeter. 

Lansdowne  House  (Earl  of  Lansdowne),  —  A  Sunset 
Port ;  Priests  Sacrificing ;  and  five  others. 

Holford  Collection,  —  Morning  and  Evening  Landscapes 

Apsley  Hoicse,  —  The  Embarkation  of  Santa  Paula. 

Earl  de  Grey,  —  The  Embarkation  of  Carlo  and  Ubaldo, 
1667;  two  Landscapes.  Lord  Yarborough,  —  A  Landscape, 
with  two  Bridges.  Mr^  H.  A.  y.  Munro,  —  A  Landscape, 
with  Cattle,  1667.  The  Marquis  of  Hertford,  —  A  Land- 
scape. The  Late  Baring  Collection,  —  A  Landscape ;  Jacob 
and  Laban ;  The  Sea,  with  Claude  Drawing ;  A  Landscape, 
with  a  Shepherd  Piping;  Sunset,  with  a  Shepherd  and 
Flocks ;  ^neas  Shooting  a  Stag. 

Scymottr,  —  The  Repose  in  Eg}'pt.  R.  Ford,  —  Castle 
and  Stream. 

Marquis  of  Bute,  —  A  Rural  Sunset;  A  Marine  Sunrise. 
Blenheim  I^alace,  —  A  Mountainous  Landscape.  Duke  of 
Portland,  —  A  Pastoral  Scene.  Earl  of  Egremont,  —  Jacob 
and  Laban,  1655.  Lord  Cavendish, —  Mount  Parnassus; 
Mercury  and  Battus.  Hope,  —  The  Flight  of  the  Holy 
Family. 

Holkham  (Earl  of  Leicester),  —  The  Punishment  of  Mar- 
syas;  Claude  Drawing,  a  Misty  Evening,  1675-6;  A  Land- 
scape; A  Seaport,  with  Claude  Drawing,  1652;  Apollo  and 
Admetus,  1655;  The  Temple  of  the  Sibyl,  at  Tivoli,  1665; 
Sunrise  on  the  Coast,  1674;  -^  Landscape  (upright);  Erminia 
and  the  Shepherds;  The  Repose  of  the  Holy  Family,  1676. 


LIST  OF  PAINTINGS.  145 

Belvoir  Castle  (Duke  of  Rutland), —  A  Landscape,  with 
Water ;  A  Landscape,  with  Cattle ;  Sunset  on  the  Sea ;  The 
Flight  of  the  Holy  Family,  1663;  Badminton  (Duke  of 
Beaufort),  —  The  Disciples  at  Emmaus ;  A  Landscape,  with 
Christ  Tempted  in  the  Wilderness.  Stourhead  House, — 
Lake  Nemi ;  A  Peasant  Driving  Cattle.  Stoke  (Labouchere), 
—  A  View  of  Spezzia ;  A  Wooded  Landscape.  Hampton 
Court,  —  A  Seaport.  Earl  of  Carlisle,  —  A  River  at  Morn- 
ing. Morrison  Collectioit,  —  The  Adoration  of  the  Golden 
Calf;  Europa  and  the  Bull.  Windsor  Castle,  —  A  Land- 
scape and  Ford ;  A  Seaport ;  A  Harbor  Scene ;  The  Artist 
Sketching  from  Nature. 

Longford  Castle  (Earl  of  Radnor),  —  The  Morning  of  the 
Roman  Empire ;  The  Evening  of  the  Roman  Empire.  Leigh 
Court  (Miles),  —  Priests  Sacrificing  to  Apollo,  1668;  The 
Landing  of  ^neas  in  Italy,  1675;  ^  Pastoral  Landscape, 
1670;  A  Harbor  Scene,  1678.  Temple  Newsam  (Ingram), 
•=— A  Landscape  and  Temple.  Wentworth  House  (Earl  Fitz- 
william),  —  A  Landscape.  Chatsworth,  —  Mercury  and  Ar- 
gus; Mercury  and  Battus,  1663.  Alton  Towers  (Earl  of 
Shrewsbury),  —  Tobias  and  the  Angel.  Raley,  —  A  Land- 
scape. Keddlestone  Hall,  —  A  Tower  on  the  Tiber.  Bur- 
leigh House,  —  Two  Landscapes.  Woburn  Abbey  (Duke  of 
Bedford),  —  Castle  St.  Angelo.  Didwich  Gallery,  —  The 
Embarkation  of  Santa  Paula ;  Jacob  and  Laban  j  A  Seaport. 
Petworth  (Wyndham),  —  A  Landscape;  Palaces  on  the  Sea- 
shore. Charlton  Park  (Earl  of  Suffolk),  —  Two  Landscapes. 
Wickham  Park  (Lord  Overstone),  —  The  Enchanted  Castle 


146  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

SCOTLAND. 
Dalkeith  Palace  (Duke  of  Buccleuch),  —  The  Judgment 
of  Paris ;  A  Seaport.  Gosford  House  (Earl  of  Wemyss),  — 
A  Landscape.  Hopetown  House,  —  The  Queen  of  Sheba. 
Garscube,  —  A  Seaport.  A.  M^Lellan  (Glasgow),  —  Shep- 
herds near  a  Ruin ;  A  Seaport  at  Sunrise. 

EX-COLLECTIONS. 
Lord  North-wick's,  — '^he  Repose  in  Egj'pt ;   A  Sunset ; 
A  Shepherd  and  Cattle  ;  A  Musical  Shepherd ;  A  Seaport ; 
Apollo    by    the    Sea.      Rogers,  —  A   Lonely   Shepherd    at 
Evening. 

Wyym-Ellis,  —  A  Seaport ;  Mount  Helicon  and  Apollo ; 
A  Ferry-boat,  with  Herdsmen;  The  Roman  Forum.  J. 
Smith, — A  Shepherd  Playing  a  Pipe,  1667;  A  Pastoral 
Scene.  Yates's  Salesrooms,  —  ^Eneas  Shooting  Deer ;  ^neas 
and  the  Cumsean  Sibyl,  1673;  Evening  in  a  Wooded  Coun- 
try; A  Herdsman. 

William  Beckford,  —  Philip  Baptizing  the  Eunuch,  1673  > 
St.  George  Slaying  the  Dragon;  Christ  Appearing  to  Mary. 
Sir  R.  Lyttleton,  —  A  Landscape ;  A  Sea  View.  Lord 
Dartmouth,  —  A  Pastoral  Scene.  Capt.  Barrett, —  Cattle 
Drinking. 

Erard,  —  Dido  Showing  Carthage  to  j^neas,  1676.  Har- 
man,  —  ^neas  and  Anchises  Visiting  Delphos.  Rev.  W. 
Tower,  —  Mercury  and  Battus,  1666.  W.  Wells,  —  Mercury 
Lulling  Argus ;  Herdsman  and  Goats.  Tracey,  —  Juno  Con- 
fiding lo  to  Argus,  1660.     Lord  Palmerston, —  A  Seaport, 


LIST  OF  PAINTINGS.  147 

1678.  Lord  Cathcart, — The  Campo  Vaccino,  1677.  Earl 
ef  Leitrim,  —  A  Piping  Shepherd.  Shepperson,  —  Peasants 
Attacked  by  Banditti.  —  Bowles,  —  Peasants  Driving  Cattle. 
Lord  Ashburton,  —  Two  Herdsmen  Talking ;  The  Flight  of 
the  Holy  Family,  1663.  Lord  Tavistock,  —  A  Rural  Concert. 
Willett,  —  A  Pastoral  Scene.  Corsham,  —  Pastoral  Music ; 
Peasants  Driving  Cattle.  Robarts, — Trojan  Women  Burning 
the  Grecian  Fleet.  Lord  Grantham,  —  A  Pastoral  Land- 
scape. Lord Ashburnham, — A  Pastoral  Landscape;  Ulys- 
ses and  Nausicaa.  Lloyd,  —  Ulysses  and  Nausicaa,  1645. 
Reynolds,  —  A  Landscape ;  Jupiter  and  Europa.    Frankland, 

—  The  Marriage  of  Pan  and  Flora.  Lord  Farnborough,  — 
A  Ford,  with  Cattle.    S.  Clarke,  —  A  Sunrise  Port.  —  Ottley, 

—  A  Landscape;  The  River  Tiber.  Coxe,  —  SS.  Triniti 
de'  Monti.  Sir  G.  Yonge,  —  Evening  Landscape  ;  Morning 
Landscape.  R.  Hulse,  —  four  Landscapes.  Hibbert,  —  two 
Landscapes.     Earl  of  Bessborough,  —  A  Seaport.     Purlin, 

—  two  Landscapes.  M.  Bryan,  —  two  Landscapes.  Earl 
of  Derby,  —  River  and  Boatmen.  Earl  Beverley,  —  A 
Herdsman  and  Cattle.  Dr.  Fletcher,  — The  Tiber,  y. 
Humble,  —  Messina ;  A  Seaport.  Col.  Howard,  —  A 
Waterfall.  Hamlet,  —  A  Pastoral  Scene.  Brown,  —  Mer- 
chandise Boats  on  a  River.  Lady  Stuart,  —  Sailors  Row- 
ing Ashore. 

Paris,  —  Julienne,  —  A  Seaport.  Dubois,  —  Shepherds 
and  River;  Evening  in  the  Hills.  Langeac, — The  Flight 
into   Egypt.     Montaleau,  —  A  Pastoral    Scene.     Pourtales, 

—  The  Arcadian  Shepherds.  Blondel  de  Gagny,  —  Tobias 
and  the  Angel.     Trouchien,  —  A  Landscape.    De  ''Calonne, 


148  CLAUDE  LORRAINE. 

A  Seaport.     Tolozati,  —  A  Seaport.    Prole,  —  A  Landscape. 
Marti7ii,  —  Jacob  and  Laban. 

Brussels, — Danoot,  —  The  Wood-Splitters. 


THE   ETCHINGS   OF  CLAUDE. 

%•»  M.  Robert-Dumesnir s  Catalogiie  -was  published  in  1S3S,  and 
•was  carefully  revised  and  augjnenied  by  M.  Edouard  Meaume, 
whose  new  list  appeared  in  1S71. 

The  Flight  into  Egj'pt ;  An  Angel  Appearing  to  a  Man  ; 
The  Crossing  of  the  Ford,  1634;  The  Herd  at  the  Watering- 
Place;  A  Tempest  at  Sea,  1630 ;  The  Dance  by  the  Water- 
Side;  The  Shipwreck;  A  Landscape  with  a  Herdsman, 
1636;  The  Draughtsman;  Villagers  Dancing  under  the 
Trees ;  A  Seaport,  with  a  Beacon ;  The  Brigands ;  A  Sea- 
port, with  a  Tower ;  A  Landscape,  with  a  Wooden  Bridge  ; 
The  Rising  Sun;  Departure  for  the  Fields;  Mercury 
Lulling  Argus  to  Sleep,  1662;  A  Herd  Hastening  through  a 
Storm,  1651 ;  The  Goatherd,  1663 ;  Apollo  and  the  Sea- 
sons; Dancing  to  the  Music  of  Time,  1662;  A  Shepherd 
and  Shepherdess  Conversing;  The  Rape  of  Europa,  1634; 
The  Campo  Vaccino,  1636;  Villagers  Dancing;  The  Herds- 
man and  the  Shepherdess ;  The  Three  Goats ;  The  Four 
Goats. 

Etchings  of  the  Fireworks  at  the  Election  of 
Ferdinand  HI.  of  Austria  as  King  of  the  Romans. 
—  A  Fountain,  with  Neptune  and  a  Two-headed  Eagle ; 
The  Same,  with  Lirger  surroundings ;  Atlas  Supporting  the 


LIST  OF  ETCHINGS.  14$ 

Globe ;  The  Same,  with  the  Globe  Breaking  into  Fireworks, 
and  a  Celestial  Globe  Appearing;  A  Square  Tower,  with 
Bastions,  surniounted  with  Allegorical  Figures  ;  The  Same, 
with  Fireworks  Exploding  on  the  Tower ;  The  Same,  with 
a  Round  Tower  Appearing,  Crowned  with  a  Sheaf  of  Fire ; 
A  Round  Tower,  Breaking  into  Fireworks ;  The  Tower 
Breaks,  Revealing  a  Statue  of  the  King  of  the  Romans ;  The 
Tower  Falls,  and  the  Statue  Appears  alone ;  The  Statue 
Rising  over  four  Bastions ;  A  Roman  Square,  with  the 
Statue  of  the  King.  Crowds  of  People,  and  Marching 
Troops. 


INDEX. 


Abandoned  in  Rome,  17. 
Abduction  0/ Helen,  97. 
Abraham  Se tiding  away  Hagar, 

113. 
Accident  at  Nancy,  36,  128. 
Accuracy,  Historical,  68,  126. 
Acis  and  Galatea,  loi. 
^neas  and  Achates,  114. 
jEneas  at  Delos,  114. 
yEneas  Landing   in    Italy,   113, 

116. 
jEneas  Landing  in  Latiunt,  87, 
Aerial  Perspective,  43. 
Aggressive  Papacy,  16. 
Air-Painting,  137. 
Alban  Lake,  58,  99. 
Aldobrandini,  Princess,  77. 
Alexander  VII.,  98. 
AUslon,  50,  68,  140. 
Alps,  The,  32. 
Altieri  Claudes,  113,  116. 
Ambiguity,  127. 
American  Artists,  50, 
Angel  Appearing  to  Hagar,  96, 

loi,  113. 
Angeluccio,  123. 
Angilino,  80. 
Apollo  and  the  Cutncean  Sibyl,  88, 

108. 
Apollo  Keeping  the  Herds,  97. 
Apennines,  30. 

A  riadne  and  Bacchus,  loi. 
Aristocratic  Rule,  no. 
Arrival  at  Rome,  14,  39, 
Asseiyn,  Jan,  125. 

Pagpiper,  The,  70. 
Baldinucci,  12,  64,  94,  130. 
Barberini  Family,  54,  55,  71,  73,  74, 

76,99- 
Battle  on  the  Bridge,  100. 
Bavaria,  33,  115. 


Bay  of  Naples,  21. 

Beauty  Sought  out,  133. 

Bentivoglio,  Cardinal,  SS- 

Bernini,  gg. 

Binh  of  Claude,  8. 

Blameless  Life,  123. 

Blanc  Quoted,  41,  93,  121,  137. 

Bonchitte,  41. 

Borgognone,  II,  132. 

Bouillon-Claudes,  81. 

Bourdon,  Sebastian,  69. 

Bourlemont,  106,  108. 

Boydell,  62. 

Brenner  Pass,  32. 

Bril,  Paul,  22,  131. 

British  Appreciation,  81,  124. 

Brown,  George  L.,  52. 

Burial  0/ Santa  Sabina,  85. 

Callot,  34,  133. 

Campagna,  26,  36,  39,  81,  88. 

Campo  Vaccino,  58,  118. 

Capri,  112,  115. 

Castel  Gandolfo,  57,  99. 

Castelrodrigo,  73,  84. 

Cecchini,  Cardinal,  89. 

Celibacy  of  Claude,  66. 

Cephalus  and  Procris,  78,  108. 

Chamagne,  8,  34. 

Christ  Appearing  to  Mary  Mag- 

dalene,  109. 
Christ  Callitig Peter,  109. 
Christ  Preaching  on  the  Mount, 

100. 
Christina,  Queen,  96. 
Civita  Vecchia,  39. 
Classic  Scenes,  127. 
Clement  IX.,  47,  no. 
Cole,  Thomas,  51. 
Coliseum,  58,  88,  126. 
Colonna,  Prince,  104,  io5,  109, 113, 

114,117. 

151 


152 


INDEX. 


Contract  Brolcen,  36. 

Cortese,  84,  102. 

Cortona,  Pietro  da,  99. 

Counterfeiters,  6i. 

Counter-Reformation,  17. 

Courtois,  lor,  124,  132. 

Crescenzi  Palace,  128. 

Crete,  100,  loi. 

CumiEin  Sibyl  and  ALneai,  115. 

Cupid  a>id  Pysche,  109. 

David  at  Adullatn,  98. 

Dawn,  26,  44. 

Death  of  Claude,  120. 

De  Belhune,  86. 

Decline  of  Roman  Empire,  87,103. 

Defiance  to  France,  118. 

Demosthenes  on  the  Shore,  112. 

De  Piles,  67. 

De  Portase,  80. 

De  Remasso,  81. 

De  Ruet,  34. 

Devoutness,  29. 

Diana  and  her  Nymphs,  113. 

Dido  and  y^neas,  116. 

Domenico,  94. 

Donna  Maidalchina,  77,  99. 

Drawings,  133. 

Dughet,  Gaspard,  70. 

Early  Studies,  13. 
Elector  of  Bavaria,  115. 
Embarkation  of  Carlo  and  Ubal- 
do,  112. 

of  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  82. 

of  St.  Paula,  86. 

of  St.  Paulina,  89. 

of  St.  Ursula,  80. 

Emperor  Leopold  I.,  113. 
Enchanted  Castle,  106. 
Enumeration  of  Works,  129. 
Environs  of  Naples,  20. 
Environs  of  Rome,  45. 
Epitaph,  120. 
Erard,  Charles,  37. 
Erminia  and  the  Shepherd,  109. 
Erythrajus  Quoted,  76. 
Estate  of  Claude,  121. 
Etchings,  58-59,  72. 
Exchanging  Pictures,  43. 

Falconleri,  109,  112,  114,  115. 
Falling  among  Thieves,  32,  38. 
Family  Affairs,  32,  34. 
Farewell  to  Lorraine,  37. 
Famesc,  97. 


Felibien,  66. 

Figure-Painting,  35,  130. 

Fireworks,  72. 

Flight  of  the  Holy  Family,  105 

Fontana,  79. 

Freiburg,  12. 

French  Academy,  108. 

Fresco-Painting,  36,  128. 

Gefli^e  Family,  8,  32,  69,  121. 
Gellee,  Jean,  g,  12,  17. 
Giorio,  Cardinal,  74. 
Goethe  Quoted,  140. 
Goffreddo,  18,  iq. 
Gout,  Attacks  of,  107,  119. 
Greenough,  Horatio,  51. 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  53,  96. 

Hamerton  Quoted,  60. 
Harlaching,  33. 
Herdsman,  The,  58,  77. 
Hermit  of  Italy,  Tflfe,  123. 
Hill-Country  Rambles,  80, 
Homesick  for  Rome,  36. 

Illiteracy,  42. 
Imitators,  61,  108. 
Indei>endent  Studies,  13. 
Influence  of  Claude,  27,  124. 
Influence  of  Poussin,  41. 
Ingratitude,  95. 
Innocent  X.,  76,  85. 
Innocent  XI.,  117. 
Instruction,  23. 
/(>,  102. 

Irving,  Washington,  30. 
Israelites  Worshipping;  the  Gold- 
en  Calf,  96,  102. 

facob  and  Rachel,  112. 

Jacob  Bargaining  for  Rachel,  96, 

102,  117. 
Jacob  iVrestlingiuith  the  Angel, 

115. 
Joly,  Abb^,  97. 
Judgment  of  Paris,  79,  loi. 
Jupiter  and  Callisto,  119. 

King  of  the  Romans,  72. 

Laborde  Quoted,  63,  103. 
Lace-.Mcrchanl,  The,  13. 
Laircsse,  Ernest,  125. 
Landing  of  Cleopatra,  75. 
Landscapes  Accessory,  125. 
Lanzi,  138. 


INDEX. 


153 


Larcher,  70. 

Lasl  Drawing,  119. 

Lauri,  Filippo,  84,  131. 

Liberality,  121. 

Liber  Veritatis,  61,  74, 105, 108,  119, 

129,  133. 
Long  Lawsuit,  122. 
Loreto,  29. 
Lorraine,  34. 
LUbke,  138. 
Lyons,  38. 

Maderno,  Carlo,  57. 

Magdalen,  The  Pcjtitent,  86. 

Major-domo,  The,  69. 

Mancini,  Maria  de',  104. 

Manner  of  Painting,  130. 

Manner  of  Study,  44. 

Marriage  Festival  of  Isaac  and 

Rebecca,  83. 
Marseilles,  38. 
Martial,  45. 
Masaniello,  20. 
Massimo,  88,  116. 
Mazarin,  Cardinal,  98,  104. 
Medici,  Cardinal  de',  50,  89. 
Menial  Labor,  16,  ig,  21. 
Mercury  and  Battus,  96,  105,  106, 

109. 
Mercury  and  Herse,  in. 
Mercury  Stealing  the  Herds,  77, 

102. 
Mctamorjikoszs   of  the    Apulian 

Shepherd,  98. 
Milton,  John,  73. 
Molina,  II,  83. 
Molyn,  Peter,  125. 
Morning  0/  the  Roman  Empire, 

^^•       . 

Mornmg  Scenes,  79,  80,  81,  83,  86, 
87,  88,  89,  loi,  109,  112,  115,  116, 
117,  118. 

Moses  and  the^urning Bush,  106. 

Moses,  Finding  of  ,  85. 

■Mountains,  33,  82. 

Mo7int  Helicon,  117. 

Moic7it  Parnassus,  tj. 

Munich,  33. 

Muti  Palace,  128. 

Mysterious  Silence,  66. 

Nagler  Quoted,  10. 
Nancy,  34. 
Naples,  18. 

National  Homage,  121. 
Nemi,  Lake,  45. 


Noon  of  the  Day,  112. 
Nuptials  of  Isaac  and  Rebecca, 
77- 

Odescalchi,  Cardinal,  117. 
Orphanhood,  12. 
Ostia,  85. 
Out-door  Studies,  46. 

Pamfili,  76,  83. 

Papal  Golden  Age,  iii. 

Parents  of  Claude,  9. 

Passari,  71. 

Pastoral  Scenes,  57,  70,  71,  75,  78, 

79,81,83,89,  102,  103,  105,  in, 

112,  114. 
Pastry-Cook  Story,  10. 
Paul  v.,  16,  54. 
Penury,  15. 
Philip   Baptizing   the    Eunuch, 

."5- 
Piapiera's  Order,  114. 
Piazza  di  Spagna,  49,  72. 
Pilgrimage,  29. 
Pincian  Hill,  49,  91. 
Porto,  81. 

Poussin,  G.,  70,  129, 
Poussin,  N.,  40,  49,  92,  108,  III, 

130,  132. 
Priests  Leadiitga  Victim,  77, 114, 
Priests  Sacrificing,  113. 
Punishment  of  Marsyas,  97. 

Queen    Esther  and  Ahasuerus, 

104. 
Queen  of  Sheba,  82. 

Rape  of  Ejiropa,  100,  loi. 

Re-Interment,  The,  121. 

Repose   of  the  Holy  Family,  76, 

102,  116,  117. 
Reticence  of  History,  92. 
Return  to  Rome,  21,  39. 
Richelieu,  54,  81. 
Roman  Artists,  123. 

Commotions,  76,  gg. 

Evenings,  87,  103. 

Festivities,  71. 

Forum,  58,  118. 

Morningj  87. 

Nobles,  73,  no,  128. 

Ruins,  58,  85,  88,  89. 

Sky,  139. 

Rome,  14. 

Rosa,  Salvator,  20,  70,  gi,  129. 

RospigLiosi,  Cardinal,  no. 


154 


INDEX 


Ruskin  Quoted,  33,  48,  82, 136, 137. 
Ruysdael,  131. 

St.  Anthony  s  Temptation,  83. 
St.  George  Slaying  the  Dragon, 

71- 
St.  Paula,  86. 
St.  Paulina,  89. 
St.  Peter  Delivered/rotn  Prison, 

IS- 
St.  Sabtfia,  85. 
St.  Ursula,  71,  80. 
Samuel  Anointing  David,  75. 
Sandrart,  9,  10,  23,  40,  42,  44,  48. 
SS.  Trinita  de'  Monti,  48,  91,  120. 
School-Days,  9. 
Seaports,  31,  32,  56,  74,  75,  80,  82. 

86,  87,  89,  100,  loi,  116,  117,  118. 
Seclusion,  67,  108. 
Sinon  and  Priam,  98. 
Sketches,  46. 
Slow  and  Steady,  24,  129. 
Spada,  Cardinal,  109,  115. 
Spain,  King  of,  64,  84. 
Stormy  Seas,  136. 
Studio,  First,  25. 
Study  of  Nature,  25. 
Studies,  68. 
Success,  56. 

Sunrise  Studies,  26,  115. 
Sunsets,  56,  59,  75,  80,  87,  89,  98, 

103,  io6,  134. 
Sunshine,  137. 
Swanevelt,  124. 
Swedish  Army,  53. 


Tassi,  II,  21,  94. 
Tcmpesta,  11,  125. 
Temptation  of  St.  Anthony,  85. 
Thirty  Years'  War,  17. 
Tiber  Valley,  117. 
Titian,  31. 

Tivoli,  44,  45,  71,  86,  115. 
Tobias  and  the  Angel,  85,  105. 
Trees,  47. 

Trojan  Woman  Burningthe  Gre- 
cian Fleet,  97. 
Turner,  51,  82. 
Twilight  Scenes,  71,  106,  113. 

Ulysses  and  Nausicaa,  loi. 
Urban  VIII.,  54,  56. 

Vanderlyn,  John,  51. 

Vanderverl,  125. 

Velazquez,  84. 

Venice,  31. 

Verdun,  89. 

Vesuvius,  Mount,  20,  106. 

Villa,  Borghese,  107. 

Claude's,  108. 

Madama,  47. 

Medici,  49. 

Pamfili,  77. 

Vite,  Giovanni  della,  133. 
Voyage,  Stormy,  39. 

Waal,  19. 

Waldestain,  Count,  113. 

Weir,  R.  F.,  51. 


%•  The  names  in  italics  are  the  titles  0/ piciureu 


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